


Stay Tuned

by dreamBot



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: First Genocide Run, Gender-neutral Reader, Other, POV Second Person, Slow Burn, might turn M idk //sweats, plot first fluff later m8, sans and frisk are p chill with resets, uh frisk can RESET but they dont SAVE or LOAD, updates are every 15th!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-30 22:16:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 43,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6444052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamBot/pseuds/dreamBot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans was used to RESETs. They happen all the time. He'd already learned to follow the usual routine until Frisk could get them to the Surface again. After all, the kid hadn't done anything wrong, so what does a couple weeks restarted matter? They'd get their happy ending until the next timeline began.</p><p>That is, until the timeline where /you/ showed up. Everything went wrong. Frisk was killing things left and right. Sans doesn't even know how you got into the Underground in the first place. And what the heck is up with that guitar case on your back?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Another Day Another RESET Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first chapter is in sans' pov. reader's will be in the next one. this is an updated chapter as of 6/6/2016 btw! hopefully it's better than the last. uvu""

The familiar tingle that ran down his spine was all he needed to know a RESET had occurred.

It was easy to miss, he had a few times, but this time he had been expecting it for a while. In fact, it somewhat came as a relief to finally let it happen instead of just waiting. Sans laid back on his bed, fingers interlaced on his ribcage, eyelids closed. He could afford to spare a few seconds more just lying there because really, what’s the rush?

Admittedly, he took longer and longer to get up at the beginning of every RESET ever since they started. Sure, it was important to get to Frisk and figure out what had happened to them in the previous timeline, but the kid was smart enough to lay low until he arrives to meet them at the start of Snowdin’s forest.

Frisk. The human. The kid who kept turning back time and making a big mess of the Underground.

Well, not really. If there was anything that could be qualified as a mess, it’d be the skeleton himself. It wasn’t easy handling the fact that he was the only one aware of time restarting. Paranoia and skepticism was Sans’ everyday obstacles back then, but he learned to keep it to himself.

He mostly watched out for any changes and kept track of everyone’s whereabouts. It was how he found out that Frisk was behind everything. Every single monster had a set path and schedules they followed without missing a beat, but Frisk. Frisk was no constant.

One time they’d be petting dogs to spare them, the other they’d be throwing sticks. One time they’d spend millions on a Spider Bake Sale, the other they’d continue without so much as a single doughnut purchase. It was like they already knew what was going to happen; what the easiest and safest route to take was throughout their journey Underground. It was hard for Sans _not_ to realize Frisk was the anomaly.

Sans didn’t do anything about it, though. The kid wasn’t doing anything wrong. They were willing to get hurt, but they weren’t too keen on hurting others and for that, Sans thought they were pretty cool. One thing he’d noticed though, was that RESETs instantly occured seconds after Frisk’s death.

Regretfully he had been a witness to a few of them.

He kept a closer eyesocket on the human child then, even before his friend behind the door asked him to. Just a few deflecting of bullets with his magic and causing some ‘inconveniences’ for other monsters so they wouldn’t bother the kid. The cycle kept going, and eventually Sans settled into a comfortable routine, never really thinking about the future but instead on what prank he should play on Papyrus next.

But then, Frisk broke the barrier.

Never in a million years had Sans thought that the day would come. He had never felt more alive feeling the sun on his face alongside his friends and family; the hollowed feeling in his ribcage after so many dull RESETs filled with warmth as he trailed the colors across the sky.

Looking at Frisk back then, he was pretty damn proud.

Monsters were quick to settle on the Surface. After a week of negotiation, the humans finally agreed to prepare a campsite for the monsters as they slowly moved in from the mountain into the city located below. It’d take time, but any start was a good one. Things were looking up for the future of both races.

Until the riots began and everything went to shit. The campsite became a main target. Curfews and extra precautions were made to ensure safety, but it wasn’t enough. Belongings were stolen. Fires happened out of nowhere. Monsters disappeared.

Frisk looked tired half the time back then, as if they were ready to give up. Being Ambassador was more than just shaking hands and signing sheets as they came to realize. The final straw though, was the execution of monsters at gunpoint when a small group infiltrated their camp at dawn. The amount of dust was suffocating.

Sans wasn’t surprised to find himself back at his old house Underground a few seconds after that.

But it’s fine. Frisk will get them back to the Surface again, and they’d be extra careful this time. He wanted to see the sky again, the stars and the moon and his brother getting excited about the many varieties of pasta. Sans could hardly wait.

…

It was a week before Frisk exited the Ruins, hands clutching their sweater and snot running down their nose. Sans offered them a napkin instead of a handshake that timeline.

Frisk would usually breeze by Snowdin within an hour, but they seemed to be taking their sweet time with the puzzles. Their date with Papyrus lasted for hours, and in the end Frisk spent the night on their couch. They’ve never done that before.

It wasn’t until the second week Frisk stayed in Snowdin did Sans did something about it. They spent their days sleeping on the couch whenever anyone was home, and never even left when the brothers went out. It was easy enough to confront them about the RESETs, and why they had suddenly stopped.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was wrong. Frisk blamed themselves for everything that had happened, as if their actions had led the monsters straight to danger. Surprisingly, Frisk took the news about Sans knowing about RESETs pretty well, but completely unraveled when he asked about the Surface.

Sans spent the entire night with a broken child in his arms and Nice Creams smeared over his hoodie.

It had been months since that night. Two years give or take if RESETs were taken out of account. By then they’ve reached the Surface three times, and their longest record was about ten months. Though it seemed everything had started over again. No biggie. The two of them can try something else to get to the eleventh month this time around.

Sans sighed and finally opened his eyesockets to stare at the ceiling. Very much awake at that point but not really feeling up to it just yet.

Of course, his brother had other plans. “SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! WAKE UP BEFORE BREAKFAST GETS COLD!”

Sans gave a breathless chuckle; that voice always greeted him at the start of every timeline without fail. “m’comin, pap. what’s for breakfast?” He knew what the answer was, but it never hurt to ask.

“SPAGHETTI! BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY, AFTER ALL. AND WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPAGHETTI!? NYEHEH!” Papyrus replied as a loud clang rang out from the kitchen. Sans took that as a cue to get ready for the day.

Shuffling past his infamous trash tornado, he grabbed his hoodie from where it was draped over his treadmill and shuffled into his slippers. It was a minor comfort, having his favorite hoodie at the beginning of each reset. He made his way to the door and reached out a bony hand to grab the doorknob—

Only to grasp air as a tingle ran down his back. Sans blinked in confusion before sitting up with a jolt to check his surroundings. Hoodie over his treadmill, slippers by the end of his bed…

A reset? So soon?

Sans could barely register it happening when his brother called out from downstairs. “SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! WAKE UP BEFO—”

Tingle.

He was starting to shake. What was happening to the kid to make them reset so early in a timeline? He’d barely shot out of bed before another reset struck, making him dizzy for a moment as he opened his eyes to see that he was lying flat on his bed again. What the fuck? Were they doing this on purpose? What the hell, Frisk?

At that point he decided to see how far the kid would go, and that was when he sensed three consecutive resets happen, each one five to ten seconds apart, his spine getting prickly after every single one of them. Five resets in a row? Or was it six?

He nervously gripped the sheets and braced himself for another, but apparently the kid was done. Sans could only blink dazedly at the crack in his ceiling.

“SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! WAKE UP BEFORE BREAKFAST GETS COLD!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh boi here we go. just some exposition. things get bumpy later on, i promise. thats what yall want, right?


	2. Wake Up It's A Beautiful Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up and everything is confusing. Also there's a flower?? Talking to you??

Your chest felt heavy. It felt like a huge weight had settled on top of your spine, right above your ribcage. You coughed weakly as you tried to sit up, only to get pulled back as gravity grabbed ahold of whatever it was on your back and pulled you down with it with a soft thud. Blinking your eyes open, you craned your neck to see what it was strapped to your back.

Oh.

It was your guitar case.

No wonder it felt like it was crushing you, silly.

You chuckled to yourself before settling your palms on the ground to push yourself up, only to pause briefly as your nails dug into soft soil. Your eyes widened as you finally registered the fucking patch of yellow flowers you had apparently napped on, and you jerked your hands up as if the soil had burned you. What the hell was going on?

How did you get here? When did you get here? You don’t remember anything about passing out in a park or like somebody’s backyard or anything like that, so where the fuck did these flowers come from? Looking around had your jaw dropping open; all around you were rocky walls covered in purple moss, and a quick glance upwards had you squinting stubbornly up towards a light source set way high into the ceiling. It looked like a… hole? Several meters in the air? What the fuck.

You were stuck in a daze for a few minutes, unsure as to what the heck is happening, as your internal narrative has a tendency to repeat. You finally decide to stand up, albeit on wobbly knees as you tried to think of any explanation as to what exactly is going on.

Terribly intricate prank?

Wild acid trip?

Alice-in-Wonderland-level lucid dreaming action?

You found yourself being much keener on the last one. Just to make sure, though, you pinched your cheeks hard. Ouch. Yeah, not a dream then.

Ultimately giving up on figuring out what had happened, you settled on getting to know your surroundings first. At a glance, it seemed like you had woken up in an enclosed space with only one way out, which is high up in the ceiling. Upon closer inspection though, it seemed that to your left was a passage leading away from the bed of flowers and deeper into… well, whatever this place was.

Having gathered your courage to explore, you made your way down the passage until you came to an intricately carved archway set into the stone of the walls, its design a sight to behold. If you weren’t convinced you were on a drunk tirade right now, you would’ve been able to appreciate the architectural masterpiece.

As of now, you gave a slight nod in recognition to the amazing work done by whoever did that, seriously though good job, before walking through the archway into another chamber, this one slightly smaller than the last. In the center was a patch of grass, and shining down upon it was a beam of sunlight, travelling down through a large crack in the ceiling; almost identical to the room you woke up in.

The only difference however, was that instead of an entire bed of flowers blooming in the center of that sunshine, there was only a single flower, its petals a tiny bit burnt and drooping.

A single flower that was muttering and cursing something under its breath.

A single flower… that had a fucking _face._

Oh wow.

It looked up.

Oh shit did you say that out loud?

“Wh-what…?” it’s face scrunched up in confusion as it regarded you up and down. You instinctively rubbed your arm sheepishly because geez man, you didn’t appreciate being judged by a flower. You allowed an awkward silence to settle for a moment before speaking up.

…Because really, what else were you supposed to do?

“Uh, hey there, lil guy! Uh… mind telling me where I am, i-if you have any idea, that is?” you tried with a placating smile. The flower blinked before its frown deepened.

“You’re in the Underground,” was its curt reply.

That… wasn’t very helpful. Still, you didn't expect for it to talk back to you. Try again?

“Ah, the Underground! I see… um, under where exactly?” you stepped forward to hear it a bit more clearly, seeing that it didn’t seem to be too threatened to talk to you. The flower flinched a little however, as if still unsure whether or not you were real. It took a few more seconds before it responded.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

Oh.

Hm.

Okay?

“Right. Uh, thanks.”

The flower suddenly looked to the side, as if contemplating something before turning back to you. “You’re… you’re new to the Underground, aren’tcha?”

You snorted. “Oh yeah, definitely, lil guy. See, I just woke up back there with no clue as to how I got here, so I was wondering if—”

“Someone ought to teach you how things work around here,” it continued, almost a bit too slowly for your liking. Okay, first of all, what it’s trying to say sounds shady as fuck. Second of all, rude. Way too rude.

“R-right, yeah. That’d be great, but if you could just---”

“I guess little old me would have to do!” it jumped right back in with a sugary sweet demeanor unlike the one where it looked at you with careful observation. Before you could even argue the walls suddenly turned dark, as if the lights had been shut off. All of a sudden there was a pull on your chest before a heart-shaped… thing floated out from within you. To that, you gave one of your undignified screeches, stumbling backwards and landing on your ass.

“Wh-wh-what did you just do to me!?” you yelped as you tried to scramble away from the glowing heart, only to have your back against the wall as it followed you as if tugged along by an invisible string tied to your chest. You held your arms up against it, as if it’d explode, or attack you or… something.

…You realized the flower had gone quiet and hesitantly lowered your arms. The flower was peering at you with what looked like confusion mixed with amuse. It tittered a bit before smiling at you, almost sincerely this time with a raised brow. Wait flowers have eyebrows what the fu-

“That’s the first time anyone’s ever tried to run away from their own soul! Haha! You must be an idiot!” it swayed a bit on its stalk as it giggled again, bending over slightly as if it hurt their non-existent plant stomach. You would have been offended at the insult if you weren’t so preoccupied with what it just said.

“M-my soul?” you repeated, turning your attention to the floating heart before you. It glowed an appeasing color, close to your favorite maybe, and you reached out to touch it as it bobbed up and down in front of you. The moment your finger touched it you recoiled immediately, it was like something heavy had intruded into your very core, and it was _very_ uncomfortable. “Eugh!”

The flower seemed to agree, if the grimace on its face was any indication. “Rule number one: Don’t touch your own soul.” It paused for a moment before adding, almost in a pleased manner, “Idiot.”

You shot a glare in its direction, before standing up and brushing dirt off your pants. Your soul followed, and stayed a bit of a distance away as you walked closer to the flower, but still within close proximity to you. You stood stiffly as you waited for the flower to…? Continue its lesson…?

“As I was saying, that is your soul, the very culmination of your being!” it chirped, almost a bit too gleefully. “Your soul starts off weak, but it can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV,” it glanced at your soul and smiled wider. “What’s LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!”

You scoffed. “LOVE? Seriously?”

It nodded. “Yes, LOVE! You want some LOVE, don’t you?”

“Uh.”

“Don’t worry I’ll share some with you!”

“Actually I don’t want any—”

“Down here,” the flower gave a wink as little white seed-looking things appeared out of thin air, circling it as it continued its speech, “LOVE is shared through… little white… ‘friendliness pellets’.”

Oh okay.

“Are you ready?”

“Ready for wha—”

“Move around! Get as many as you can!” it finished as the pellets shot forward in your direction. Your fight-or-flight response almost made you want to dodge the bullet-looking things, but you were already knee-deep in this fantastical bullshit, you might as well receive the LOVE this flower had to offer. You spread your arms and----!!

You didn’t know LOVE hurt like a bitch. Upon getting hit you crumpled to your knees with a grunt, gasping for breath. Your guitar case suddenly felt heavier as you struggled to sit up, as if your limbs were paralyzed from the brute force of those pellet looking shitpieces. The flower looked on smugly as you shook in pain, mumbling curses under your breath.

It started to cackle as its face morphed into that of a demon, “You idiot.”

More pellets appeared around you, another circle surrounding your soul as its light dimmed significantly. You screwed your eyes shut and braced yourself for the final blow, not wanting to gaze into the eyes of your murderer. You could hardly care that you were getting done in by a fucking plant, it was already game over for you. “In this world…”

You waited.

“I-it’s… k-kill or be… killed…”

And waited?

“…”

You lifted one eye open. The sight before you almost made your gut turn. The flower looked so _lost_. The pellets still hovered around your soul, although they weren’t spinning as fast as they were before. The little petaled menace was staring at the ground in front of you with a steady gaze. You were almost ready to say something when the flower lifted its head to make eye contact with you.

“…Maybe this time, it’ll be different?” it mumbled so softly, you could barely hear it. It was probably not even talking to you.

“Huh?”

“I mean… maybe this time, maybe Chara will…?” it continued, its petals shaking slightly.

“W-what are you talking about, lil guy?”

Your voice seemed to have snapped it out of its reverie, its features curling into a disgusted face before it growled at you. “I’m doing this for Chara, don’t think that I’m SPARE-ing you, idiot,” it huffed before popping into the soil, not a trace of it to be seen. The pellets that were hovering around you disappeared along with the flower, allowing you to finally relax.

The lights turned back on, your soul blipped back into your chest with a streak of light and you crashed into a heap on the ground, tears of relief pathetically running down your cheeks as you sobbed out in somewhat-victory.

At least you were still alive. At least you still had your soul. And at least you still had your guitar case (which is starting to crush you yet again ow ow ow roll over dang it) and for now, you were simply happy about those three things.

Eventually though, you had to keep moving. You finally noticed that right across the room was another archway, and stepping in through that led you to a room you were very much not expecting. Instead of the usual cavernous chambers like the ones earlier, this time neat purple bricks were set into the moss-covered walls. A grand staircase of stone rose, the steps leading upwards from left and right respectively to reach the center where another archway was built.

Dumbfounded, you hopped up the steps and entered the room. There was a pathway leading from the archway you came in from to another entrance, and beside that was a set of what looked like stepping-stones, half of them pushed into the ground. And in front of that? A switch.

Were people living in these caves? Intelligent humans with the capability of creating magnificent arches and brick walls and a switch system? The thought had you excited. You may be lost with only your guitar case, a weak ass soul, some trauma from a near death experience delivered by a daisy, but nevertheless the idea of an adventure ahead of you was appealing to say the least.

You could barely contain your giddy excitement as you ran through the archway, ignoring the way your shoulders were starting to burn from carrying your load for so long. But fuck it! Adventure awaits! The next room was occupied by little streams with bridges spanning across them, and you ran straight through without paying any of the switches on the walls any mind. The entrance ahead was already open after all, you didn’t need to mess around in here.

Around the corner was another entrance, but before that lay a pile of torn pieces of cloth. You almost wanted to inspect it, but you were too excited to meet someone that you decided to forego that thought. Over at the next room was a pattern on the floor and you were about to look closely at it when something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye.

A few feet from you laid a pile of dust.


	3. House at the End of the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet a lovely goat lady and have some pie.   
> Also there's a kid who apparently hates you?? Joy.

Thirty minutes of walking later yielded absolutely no results. You’ve come across several more piles of dust after the first one you encountered, and you had to admit that you were intrigued as to what they were. You kicked a few aside to see if there was anything hidden in them, you grabbed some and let it flow through your fingertips to see if you’d catch anything between your appendages, and you even opted to taste one pile at some point before you decided that no, you weren’t _that_ gross.

One thing you were sure though. This place was practically filled with death-traps (but not really?) seeing that every room you entered always had you ending up at the bottom of somewhere. Normally you’d probably break a leg or two after a fall that high, but a stinking huge mosh pit of leaves would cushion your fall and it’d be like landing on top of a pile of prickly crinkly cotton balls.

After falling through floors, triggering switches and falling through more floors, choking on a piece of hard cheese, and mildly getting upset over an upset bowl of candies, you finally reached what looked like a leaf-covered road leading towards a quaint little house beyond a courtyard where a seemingly dead tree sat in the middle.

You didn’t even stop to ponder as to why and how a tree had even managed to grow in a place like this in the first place as you jogged around it to check out the house more closely. The door that led to it was large, almost towering in comparison to your own height. Could these people possibly be giants? You weren’t sure if you should feel excited or terrified.

Pushing your fear aside, you balled your courage into a fist and lifted said fist up to your eye-level, giving the wooden door good strong knocks. Your heartbeat quickened as you heard the unmistakable scrape of furniture being pushed back, before heavy footsteps started coming towards you. A feminine voice called out, “Please wait a moment!” before an unlocking sound came from the other side of the door. You held your breath as the door swung open to reveal—

…Oh wow.

“Oh my,” the voice seemed to agree.

Shit did you say that out loud?

“I did not expect another human to show up so soon!” the voice cheerily greeted. “Please, make yourself at home!”

You could only manage to gape at the figure in front of you as they stepped to the side, gesturing for you to come in. Whoever they were, they were… how do you describe them? They resembled a goat, and a pretty one at that, with amber eyes that held a certain softness to them. Instead of hooves however, they stood on large paws, and you could see as they waved you inside that the same could be said for their hands as well. A pair of horns daintily sat atop their head, and their face was framed by long bunny-like ears that hung at either side of their snout.

You… couldn’t stop staring. In fact you were sure you were blushing at that point because you’ve never been in the presence of such a pretty creature before.

They must’ve confused your reaction to something else, because then they followed up the previous statement with an “Oh! My apologies, how rude of me! I am Toriel, caretaker of these Ruins. I usually walk around to see if any humans had fallen down, but I did not expect there to be two on such short notice! I must have missed you when I took the first one home with me. Please forgive me.”

You finally snapped your mouth shut and swallowed the little bit of saliva that had collected at the base of your throat from having your mouth open for so long, smiling shakily. “Ah, th-that’s okay. N-nice to meet you, T-Toriel?”

“Likewise, child,” they… she? She. She smiled down at you sweetly before taking a hold of your hand. Her paw was warm and soft, heck you wanted to hold on to that hand forever, but Toriel promptly let go as soon as you stepped inside and turned around to close the door.

“You and the other human must know each other, yes? The two of you probably fell at the same time, after all,” she hummed as she made her way down the left hallway, pushing you in front of her with a paw on your shoulder. You forgot about how tired you were of carrying your case around for a moment and kept staring at her, barely understanding what she was even saying.

“F-fell?” you repeated.

She stopped short before coming into the next room, turning towards you with a sympathetic look on her face. “Oh, child. Do you not remember falling down here? You must be in terrible shape,” she tutted as she tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. You would’ve blushed at the gesture had she not been calling you ‘child’.

You were about to protest about it when she reached around you to grab a hold of your guitar case, gently lifting it off of you and propping it against the wall. The sweet relief of having it off of you was amazing, and you sighed as you rubbed your sore muscles. Toriel smiled as she sees you visibly relax, placing a paw at the small of your back and resuming pushing you into the room.

Upon entering, you could feel the utter coziness of the room, the whole house, actually, and suddenly sensed a burst of feeling in your chest as you remembered all those visits to your grandmother when you were little. It was as if you were there again; the crackling of embers in the fireplace, the large armchair in the middle of the room, the smell of pie crust wafting into your nose and—

A child sitting on one of the chairs glaring at you like you were some mangy dog carrying fleas into their space? Wow, such hostility in those crimson eyes.

…The kid looked like an absolute brat.

_ _ _

”Mmmm, Toriel, this is amazing!” you mumbled before shoving another forkful of pie into your mouth, humming as Toriel worked on a kink at the back of your neck. Five minutes since you arrived and you were already being treated like royalty. You wanted to feel bad, but you were so exhausted and starving you figured a few more minutes of being spoiled wouldn't hurt. You'll act like an adult again when you're ready.

The goat lady chuckled as she worked out the soreness in your muscles, eliciting a few contented sighs from you as you ate. "I am pleased you like it! After all, you are having quite a...  _crummy_ day," she giggled, leaning over your shoulder expectantly. You swiveled your head to shoot her a look, suspicions confirmed as her eyebrows wiggled.

You grinned and scrunched your eye in an exaggerated wink, waving the silverware in your hand, " _Fork_ -tunately I've got pie to make it better, amiright?"

The woman's eyes lit up before she burst out laughing, nearly smothering you in soft fur as she lost her balance, holding her stomach. She gave you a pat on the head as she wiped her eyes, repeating your pun under her breath. You beamed as she headed towards the chair beside the fireplace and settled into it comfortably, a peaceful smile on her face. Makes pies  _and_ has a terrible (by which you mean _great)_  sense of humor? You feel yourself getting attached.

You concluded that Toriel here must have been thousands of years old, the way she mothers you both almost on instinct; a grown ass adult alongside a child of ten but she doesn’t treat the two of you any differently at all.

Meanwhile the kid had yet to introduce themself, opting to divert their eyes to anywhere besides you as they colored with broken crayons from where they sat. Seemed as though they’ve made themself at home though, so you figured you could mutually cut each other some slack.

It wasn’t until you had finished your second slice did you finally decide to fill in the silence, wanting to know more about Toriel and the Ruins. A little conversation couldn’t hurt, could it?

“So Tori, is it just you here living in these Ruins? It must get pretty lonely, huh?” you began, keeping your tone light and sincere. The goat woman sighed heavily from where she sat on the arm chair before smiling at you sadly. You were too eager to listen that you barely registered the glaring pair of reds pointed at your back.

“It does tend to be a bit… quiet, but I get visits occasionally from my neighbors. Plus, now I have you two to keep me company,” she admitted. “We will have a lovely time together, I think. There are so many things I would like to show you two!”

You laughed before freezing as what she said settled into your brain. ‘Keep her company?’ She didn’t think you were going to stay, did she? Okay okay, back up a little bit there champ, but _subtly._

“Neighbors, huh? They must be a handful, I mean, I don’t want to keep you busy whenever your friends are visiting,” you tried.

“Oh, I am sure they would love to meet you! They are always eager to get to know new people. We do not get much excitement in these Ruins, you know,” Tori failed to sense your unease as she closed her eyes and leaned back into the cushions, getting comfortable.

Try something else. Distract her, don’t let her dwell on that thought.

“Well, where do they live? I haven’t seen anyone at all on my way here,” you reached out a hand to dig out another piece of pie, before changing your mind and instead opted to suck at your fork for crumbs.

Tori seemed to stiffen at the same time as the child, straightening their backs in unison. You sensed dread grab at the edges of your heart as you noticed that the kid was holding the crayon in a _very tight_ grip in their hand.

Toriel looked at you carefully, “Whatever do you mean by that?”

“I dunno, it’s just that, besides you I haven’t met anyone at all ever since I ‘fell’. I mean there was this talking flower before but it tried to kill me so uh... Anyway, I’d have thought to meet some other people back there,” you explained, shrugging nonchalantly.

She paused for a bit, and you could feel the kid fidget in their seat in front of you. “…What else did you find on your way here?”

You tilted your head back, staring at the ceiling as you hummed. “Some candy, piles of leaves, a doughnut in a spider web and the occasional dust piles here and there. What’s up with that, by the way? Do you guys have some sort of—”

You didn’t finish your sentence as the child stood up briskly and ran out of the room. You stared after them before getting startled as Toriel stood up to chase after them. “Child! Come back! I am not angry with you, please!” she called down the hallway before turning towards you, a serious look on her face. “Stay here.”

And with that she left, footsteps fading away quickly accompanied by the creaking of stairs. You sat in silence for a moment before rushing after them, grabbing your guitar case on the way. Stay here? That was the exact thing you were trying to avoid ever since you opened your stupid mouth not three minutes ago!

You could barely hear Toriel’s cries from where she was downstairs, and you quickly followed her down the steps. It got darker significantly, but you could still make out a hallway in front of you, and right ahead of you was Toriel, chasing after the kid. You slung the case over your shoulder and gave chase, determined not to be left behind. Although it wasn’t like you could’ve been, anyway.

Right as you turned the corner, you spotted Toriel standing in front of the kid in a defensive stance, a pleading look in her eyes. It wasn’t until she crouched down a bit to speak to them did you realize that she was guarding a door. Was that the way out? Why would she keep them away from it? Was she really that selfish?

You shook your head, refusing to dwell on that notion. It seemed as though the child was listening, though their head was downcast the entire time. As you watched the careful exchange between the two of them, you began to notice the kid slowly reaching into the back of their shirt, their small hand grasping a wooden handle until you recognized the object that they were holding.

You didn’t think twice as you lunged forward.


	4. A Little Less Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You attempt to save goat mom.  
> Good luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im v proud of that title just so you know. ayyyyy

The kid snarled as you grabbed their wrist from behind, twisting back violently to get away. You reached an arm around their chest and held them close to you, bending a bit because of how small the kid was compared to you. You grunted with effort as they threw their head back to hit your chin, though you managed to duck to the side just in time.

You could hear Toriel gasp from in front of you before yelling at you to let them go. You shook your head and tried to explain the knife in their hands, but only managed to scream as the kid bit down on your forearm so hard you were sure you were bleeding. They wriggled out of your grasp as you hissed in pain, stumbling back a little.

The child was a blur as they rushed towards Toriel, and you only managed a squeak of a warning before they swung at the goat woman. You expected spilled blood and a pained cry, but thankfully Tori had sidestepped just in time, barely getting her robe nicked by the sharp edge of the kitchen knife. Her position had been switched with the child, with them in front of the door and her standing beside you. The kid reeled back as if ready to strike again.

Stepping in front of Tori, you managed to grab the child by their wrists in a tight grip as they swung, wincing a little as the bite on your arm began to burn slightly from the force. The kid was _unrelenting_. The rage and hatred burning in their eyes as they stared up at you were filled with such murderous intent, you found yourself almost cowering.  It was as if they wanted to blame you for everything that had gone wrong in their life.

“Child! Please stop this!” Toriel tried to speak over your shoulder and held out a paw towards their face, “I do not blame you for anything that you might have done, please calm down.” It seemed that she was trying to stroke their cheek in reassurance, but they flinched almost immediately and pulled back, trying to get away from her touch.

Of course this caused you to fall forward as well, seeing as you had applied all your weight to push the kid back. You lost your footing and almost fell flat on your face, if Toriel hadn’t grabbed you by the strap of your case. As Tori tugged you backwards and made sure you were a safe distance away from the knife-wielding child, the kid had turned around and pushed their way through the door, leaving the two of you behind in stunned silence.

“Kid! Wait!” you yelled out and made a move to sprint after them before you were jerked back unexpectedly. You glanced back to see Toriel holding your arm as she stared at the door with a glassy look in her eyes. “T-toriel? What’s wrong?”

She blinked down at you and your heart wrenched as tears spilled over her cheeks. Her breath was starting to shake as she placed both of her paws on your shoulder, making you face her fully. “I-if you go after them… please, can you promise me that you will look after them?”

What.

“Toriel! They tried to hurt you!” you cried out indignantly, holding her paws in your hands. You were about to protest further when she tightened her grip on your shoulders, almost to the point of hurting. You winced as she let out a single sob, shaking her head fervently.

“Please… I-I cannot bear to lose another one, not like this. They are simply hurt and confused. I have seen their soul, they have suffered so much… please believe me,” she stooped down until she was on her knees, and you found yourself staring down at her. She gripped you tightly as if not wanting to let go, “Protect them, take care of them… and they may not want to listen to you, but please do not hurt them.”

Staring back at those broken brown eyes, what kind of monster were you to say no? Sure, every shred of your being was thoroughly rejecting the idea but instead of pushing her away you held your hands up to her cheeks and wiped her tears away with your thumbs. “O-okay… I’ll do it. For you, Tori, I promise.”

The woman let out a broken cry and held you in her arms, hugging as tightly as she can without hurting you. You felt her form shake with small tremors as she silently sobbed into your shoulder, muttering quiet ‘thank yous’. You brushed the fur at the back of her head, feeling a bit awkward as the roles of the mother and doted child got switched, but you patted her back nevertheless in an attempt to comfort her.

She finally pulled back, giving you a quick peck on the forehead before standing up with her usual grace. Her eyes were still moist and her fur still damp, yet she smiled at you anyway. “I apologize for keeping you so long. You should hurry after them, who knows what they are facing out there on their own.”

You nodded tersely, making your way to the door, though Tori grabbed your arm once more before you could leave. “Also… please be careful out there. He… the King, Asgore, he will try to take your soul. Do not ever let that happen, understand?”

You didn’t _really_ understand, but you gave her a thumbs-up anyway, “I assure you that I’ve _goat_ it handled. Take care of yourself, Tor.” Slipping through the doors, you’d be lying to yourself if you said you weren’t proud at hearing the muffled giggles coming from behind you.

Only to stop dead in your tracks as a familiar face popped up into view.

“You,” it greeted in a somber tone. You straightened and looked at it in the eyes.

“You right back, lil guy.”

It scoffed, petals drooping more than ever since the first time you met. “Chara was upset with me for letting you leave.”

You… weren’t sure what to say to that? “Chara? Is that the kid with the knife? Bobcut, striped sweater, blue boots?” You gestured around your middle with a stiff palm, indicating the child’s height.

“They said not to kill you, but they didn’t say anything about breaking a few limbs,” its eyes suspiciously darted to where your kneecaps were and you could feel yourself getting the jitters. Okay, this creepy flower needs to fuck off. Immediately.

“I’d love to stop and chitchat, lil guy, but I really need to go,” you announced firmly and began walking cautiously around the flower in a wide arc, still facing it as you sidled by the walls, your arms held out by your sides almost comically. “I’ll tell the kid you said ‘hi’.”

It didn’t respond, in fact it didn’t even follow your movements as you came up to another door. Your steps faltered as you picked up a tiny mumble coming from it, though. You stopped and turned to see the flower still facing away from you, and you almost hesitated before you spoke up. “What was that?”

It finally lifted its head to glare at you. “It’s Flowey. Flowey the flower. Don’t call me ‘lil guy’.” And with that it disappeared into the soil, just like before. You blinked at the patch of grass before shaking your head. You needed to focus. You had a promise to keep and an angry child to find. No time to wonder what the heck that was about.

Placing your palms firmly on the door, you gave it a mighty push and fell forward with a yelp. The doors were lighter than you thought, but you failed to realize that as you sputtered on the ground briefly as something cold and wet stuck to your face. You sat and brushed off the residue, spitting profusely.

Lifting your head your jaw dropped at the wintry landscape spread out before you, ignoring the way the snow was starting to melt through your clothes. You shakily stood up and looked around, still trying to process the fact that this is even _happening_ in the first place. You clicked your jaw closed at some point, but not before slapping yourself to make sure that yeah, you still weren’t dreaming.

Is this area still considered the Underground? How big was this place? There were fucking _pine trees,_ for fuck’s sake, and you didn’t require much intelligence to know that _pine trees are pretty fucking tall_ and they’re like growing in abundance to the left and right of you down here. Not to mention that it’s snowing?? Good thing you had your jacket, otherwise it’d probably be freezing for you right now.

Sighing in exasperation, you decided to ignore it for now and turned your attention back to the task at hand. You still had a small bundle of angry child to find. A small bundle of angry child that had a knife. You cupped your hands to your mouth and called out their name. Chara, was it? Strange name, but at this point everything is strange and that makes everything normal.

The trail in front of you led you straight forward, and the entire way you called out their name, peering through the trees and looking behind you to see if they were there. You came across a branch snapped in half at some point but didn’t pay it any mind, simply stepping over it as you continued shouting for Chara to come out.

Continuing on your way, you finally came to a bridge suspended across a gap about a few meters apart. Built on that were bars that looked like they were supposed to keep things out (or in?) although they were set too far apart for it be effective. You were almost amused when quick footsteps came up from behind you.

You’ve only just snapped your head back before something collided into your guitar case and threw you down to the freezing ground. Someone grabbed you by the side and turned you over, and you’ve only managed to blink in confusion before the kid was lifting their knife high into the air above you, their face twisted into an ugly scowl.

You screamed as they lodged the knife deep into your shoulder and kicked out your legs to knock them off their feet. You abandoned your guitar case on the ground as you picked yourself up, gasping in pain at the acidic burn in your shoulder. The kid simply stared at you, or more accurately the knife stuck in your flesh, and almost looked smug as you started to wheeze uncontrollably from shock.

Their eyes widened as you solidly grabbed the handle and yanked the blade out in one quick movement. Blood dribbled down the knife and gathered at your fist, but you tossed it down the ravine without second thought. Chara looked on mortified as the knife bounced off the craggy sides before disappearing into the abyss. They recovered quickly and turned to glare at you; that scowl was back on their face.

You took a few deep breaths before addressing them. “K-kid… w-what the hell…?” It wasn’t a proper way of greeting a ten-year-old, but damn it they just stabbed you and you could afford saying a mild curse in front of them.

Their eyes darted towards the bridge and for a moment they probably figured they could plow through you to run across, but you surged forward before they could take a step in that direction. “H-hey, hey… look at me, kid,” you snapped your fingers sassily to get their attention.

Chara looked up at you, their blood red eyes narrowing. The pair of orbs really were beautiful, if they weren’t reflecting such a bitter outlook on life. But now they had apprehension and cautiousness mixed in as well. You sucked in another breath, trying to ignore the rampant throbbing in your shoulder.

“I-I know you’re scared, it’s okay if you are.”

They blinked, eyes widening slightly. You continued after hissing a bit.

“I’m a stranger and we’re like, s-stranded in a place we know nothing about - hng - surrounded by strange creatures, I-I get it if you’re assuming a defensive stance towards it all. But... - ah - recklessly attacking everything isn’t the way to do it,” you chuckled humorlessly as you stared down at them, tears collecting at your eyes. “I-Including me.”

They remained still.

“I-I don’t really get what Toriel was... was saying, what she said about the things y-you did? Back at the Ruins? But she said to me -ow - that she doesn’t blame you... She fuh- forgives you. H-heck, she even told me to take care of you. Crazy, huh?”

The kid stiffened slightly, the corners of their mouth turned down at the edges. They were avoiding your gaze at this point, and simply glared at the ground with lowered eyelids as their tiny fists clenched at their sides.

“Y-you don’t… r-really talk much, huh? That’s okay, I’ll do the talking for the bu-both of us, haha ow,” you winced as a particularly sharp throb pulsed through your shoulder. “But uh, the thing is kid, w-what I’m trying to say is, I’ll protect you okay? You don’t... you don't need to be scared anymore. I promise I’ll do everything it takes t-to get us out of here, together. Alright?”

You didn’t know what it was that made you say that out loud, but after that statement came out of your mouth, you decided that it had to be true. You’re going to protect the _shit_ out of this kid, and bring the two of you out of there no matter _what_ you had to do in order to accomplish it. Something in you just told you to do it.

Taking a few steps forward, you got on your knees and held your single working arm out in a waiting embrace, uncaring as the snow melted through your pants. Chara threw you a funny look, a mix between a grimace and a scowl but made no move to step closer, or to move away for that matter, which was what you were expecting to be honest.

You shrugged and muttered something like a “c’mere, kiddo” before enveloping them and pulling them close, giving them a tight squeeze as best as you could with your one arm. They started to squirm instantly, punching at your chest and stretching their arms out to get away. You laughed and pulled back to brush the hair out of their eyes, giving them a sly wink as they continued to sneer. “What’dya say we start walking and blow this _popsicle_ stand, eh?”

If anything, their frown seemed to have deepened, and you could hardly hold back the bark of laughter at their reaction. You were about to stand up when footsteps came up behind you, this time slower and more deliberate. A chill ran up your spine as you sensed a new presence behind you.

“H u m a n s.”

Oh shit.

“D o n ’t  y o u  k n o w  h o w  t o  g r e e t  a  n e w  p a l?  T u r n a r o u n d a n d s h a k e m y h a n d.”

Well, that sounded shady as all heck. You gave a weak smile to Chara before slowly turning around, putting yourself between them and the newcomer. No big deal, you could still punch with one arm and kick with two legs if a fight had to go down. You were about to send a glare at whoever it was when you choked up at the cutting gaze of a pair of lights peering down at you.

You started to sweat despite the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (hey look youre about to meet the skell. are you hyped cuz i certainly am)


	5. Short and Cute, Tall and Handsome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet a skeleton and decides he's a dork.  
> His brother's also a dork but a loud one.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter title makes me laugh to myself  
> its almost 2 am and i am very delusional

You stared at those bright pinpricks of light as they stared right back. Sweat was starting to collect at your hairline as the stranger in front of you glanced between Chara’s face and yours in contemplative silence, their static grin making your nervousness spike.

Should you say something? It seemed like you were supposed to say something.

“hey, don’t leave me hangin’ here, pal,” a deep smooth voice rumbled from their throat. You guessed by hearing alone that they were a dude? It was then that he wiggled his outstretched hand in front of your face, and you took the time to stare at his mitted hand before taking it in your own.

His grin stretched wider as the sound of obnoxious flatulence drifted through the air and echoed through the trees. Your mouth dropped open and you could almost feel Chara’s disappointed gaze directed at the two of you. Was that a… was that a…?

“heh, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick,” the guy says to himself, clearly pleased.

It _was._

You blinked before letting out a quiet whisper of ‘oh my god’ because this person, frankly, is a fucking dork. He pulled his hand back and shoved it into the pocket of his blue hoodie, eyes lidding in a relaxed gaze. “the name’s sans. sans the skeleton. nice to meet’cha.”

Your mouth bobbed like a fish for a moment before you gathered yourself and cleared your throat sheepishly. “I uh, nice to meet you, too,” you laughed as you stood at your full height. Now that the tension in the air had cleared up a bit, you took the time to take in this ‘Sans’ person.

He was a good few inches shorter than you, and you couldn’t help thinking how embarrassed you were for feeling threatened by someone who only reached to your nose level. The guy looked like the type to kick at your shins in self-defense for fuck’s sake. His appearance of a skeleton wasn’t really that obvious, you could’ve easily mistaken his apparent baldness as a choice of style rather than the fact that it was a hairless skull. And almost every inch of him was covered too, only a bit of his clavicle could be seen along with—

Oh, he was wearing shorts. Okay it was obvious now nevermind. And were those _bedroom slippers_?

“Nice,” you mumbled to nobody in particular.

Sans had his face turned towards you, although his eyes were focused on Chara as he spoke through closed teeth. It seemed he didn’t really need to open his mouth in order to speak. “you two are humans, right? that’s hilarious.”

“Uh, is it?” you chuckled, bending down to pick up your forgotten guitar case. Sans seemed intrigued at your inventory but made no comment as he kept staring at the kid behind you. The way his gaze followed Chara was unsettling, so you surreptitiously creeped to the side in order to block his view. With the kid out of sight, he finally pulled his head back to look at you properly.

There you go.

“yeah, the thing is, me and my bro have been on the lookout for humans since forever. i guess i still can’t believe that this is happening,” he teetered back and forth on his heels and fuck that was kinda cute stop that. “i’m not really interested in capturing humans, although my brother on the other hand…”

Wait, did he say ‘capture’ and ‘human’ in the same sentence? Right next to each other no less?

“…he’s a human-hunting FANATIC.”

Okay warning signals everywhere, sound the alarm, grab the kid and go go go. You slung your case over your good shoulder and reached down to hold Chara’s hand, your face hardened in steel determination and ready to leap over this skeleton to run away before anyone else shows up.

“…oh hey, i think he’s on his way here.”

“What!?” you squeaked and darted your eyes around where Sans was looking behind him. In the distance, you could make out a tall figure marching quickly towards you and you sputtered about as you tried to look for a place to hide. “Wh-wh, I gotta, w-we gotta! K-kid, don’t let go of me okay!?”

You jumped as someone gripped your elbow and you glanced down to see Sans giving you a wink. “here, lemme help you out. just come through the gate, my bro made the bars too wide to stop anybody.”

Figuring you could trust him, you nodded and followed him as he walked across, your attention quickly switching over to a wooden outpost to the left of you. “quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lam—”

He didn’t finish as you hoisted your smaller companion and carried them by your hip towards the little shed-looking thing despite their wriggling protests. You swung a leg over the countertop and clambered over, a bit clumsier than usual what with your guitar case and the child in your arm. “Calm down, Chara, it’s just for a moment!” you grunted as they hit you with small fists.

You’ve only had enough time to look back at Sans’ confused expression before having to duck down as another person darted into the clearing, announcing their arrival with a high-pitched, “SANS!”

Chara grumbled quietly as you hugged them close, your mama bear instincts starting to kick in. You didn’t care that they were starting to gnaw on your hand, the kid ain’t going nowhere on your watch. You strained your ear to hear Sans’ conversation with his brother outside.

“oh hey, bro. ‘sup?”

“YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP’ BROTHER!” his brother yelled followed by a noise that suspiciously sounded like a boot being stomped into the snow. “IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T. RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!”

Puzzles? Were they a big thing down here? Those death traps back in the Ruins might’ve been puzzles but…

“YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING!?!”

“staring at this la—i mean, uh.” You heard a ruffle that you assumed was Sans giving a casual shrug, “heh, just like you said, pap. nothing but hanging around outside my station here.”

“UGH. AS IF I WAS SUPPOSED TO EXPECT ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM YOU, BROTHER! IT SEEMS THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE CHIDING YOU WITH MOTIVATIONAL WORDS SO AS TO KEEP YOU ON YOUR FEET. AHEM. ‘I KNOW YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS, SANS’!”

“ah gee, thanks, dude. your confidence in me is appreciated.”

“NYEH HEH! OF COURSE! I AM AFTER ALL, VERY GREAT, AND NO LESS CAN BE SAID ABOUT MY SHEER APTITUDE OF ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO THEIR VERY BEST!”

“that’s true, bro.”

“INDEED. THAT BEING SAID, PLEASE TRY HARDER, SANS! HOW WILL I EVER GET INTO THE ROYAL GUARD IF I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY KEEP AN EYE ON YOU TO ENSURE THAT YOU’RE NOT SLACKING OFF DURING YOUR DUTIES?”

“but i’m not slacking off. i’m on break.”

“NYEH! HOW MANY BREAKS MUST YOU HAVE WITHIN A DAY!?” More stomping noises. “WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? WE MUST BE PREPARED!”

“hey, i’m always prepared. after all, i’ve got you to keep me on the straight and _marrow_.”

“SANS.”

“what would a guy like me do without a _bone_ -afide brother like you?”

“SANS!”

“i guess i’m too much of a _bonehead_ and a _numbskull_ to realize that.”

“I AM LEAVING, SANS!”

“see ya later, pap.”

A frustrated screech rang out through the air before agitated stomping led away into the distance, the owner mumbling something about ‘lazy brothers and shirked responsibilities.’ Meanwhile in the shed, Chara had stopped struggling as they stared at you who was currently red-faced from trying so hard to keep yourself from bursting into ugly snorts.

Sans and his brother were a fucking _delight_. Too bad they wanted to capture you and keep you locked up for whatever reason.

“buddy, you can come out now,” Sans’ voice called out from above you, and you tilted your head back to find him barely leaning over the counter to grin down at your hiding spot. He was probably on his tippy-toes, the adorable smug bastard.

“Is your brother gone?” you peeked over the counter just to make sure before standing up cautiously. Chara was just glad to be out of your grasp and expressed this notion by dusting off their shirt as if the very idea of being in contact with you disgusted them and was equal to touching dirt. You had to admit you were mildly offended by that.

“yep. sent him on his way smiling as usual,” he claimed proudly, puffing out his chest as if it was the biggest achievement he could have ever done today. You raised a brow and made a move to climb over the shed, twisting your body to the side.

“Really? He didn’t seem to appreciate your sense of humor,” you smirked.

“nah, he loves ‘em. i’ll have you know that i’m pretty _humerus_ when i want to be,” he winked as you playfully rolled your eyes, “by the way, there’s a gate you could’ve used back there.”

“Oh.”

Well, it was pointless now. Chara made good use of it though, making sure to stare straight into your eyes as they swung it open and walked around to where you were. Okay kiddo geez, no need to shove it in your face.

“welp, you better get going. he might come back, and if he does you’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes,” he advised, tilting his head towards the marked path to the left of you. You crossed your arms and tapped a foot, raising an eyebrow.

“You know, I’m starting to wonder how often you’ve used those before,” you challenged.

He shrugged and looked to the side, his grin getting wider at the edges. “not often enough, _tibia_ -nest.”

“Oh my god, do you ever run out?”

“i hope not, otherwise i’d be _boned_ ,” he punctuated his last word with a waggle of his weird bone brows.

You finally lifted your arms in surrender, laughing a little. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Thank you, skeleton man, but as you’ve said we should probably get going,” you reached down to where you expected Chara’s hand to be only to grasp nothing.

“Wh-wha? Shit, where’d the kid go?” You spun around in search of them, your breath starting to quicken. You had a promise to keep, damn it, and you’re not gonna screw it up 15 minutes upon making it! “Chara! Chara, where are you!?”

Nothing. The kid had apparently made like a tree and left. You spotted their small footprints heading in the direction where Sans pointed though, and let yourself be relieved for a bit to know that at least you had a way of tracking them down. Before you could take a step in that direction though, a mitted hand grasped yours and you looked down to see Sans giving you a worried look.

“the… the kid ain’t called Chara, are they?” he asked carefully.

You frowned. “Yes…? I mean, I wouldn’t be yelling that if it wasn’t their name.”

He nodded slowly, letting go of your hand and shoving it back into his pockets. Then he gave another one of his laidback grins. “ok then. just wanted to make sure. are ya gonna be alright there, though?”

“Huh?”

He tapped a finger against his shoulder. “you’re not lookin so _hot_ there, bud. and i don’t think it’s ‘cuz of the weather.”

You finally remembered that you had a particularly painful stab wound on your shoulder and started to hiss on reflex. Right, it’d be common sense to take care of that first, obviously. Looking down, you carefully peeled back one side of your jacket and your hissing intensified. Sans’ low whistle accompanied your sentiment.

“…yeah, that looks… that looks bad.”

“No kidding.”

“what even happened anyway?” he brushed his fingers over the wound and you instantly recoiled.

“Ah, had an accident with the kid. Don’t touch it, dude, stop it,” you swatted his hand away lightly.

“oh sorry. like i said though, will you be alright with that?”

You weren’t sure what to say to that to be honest, but you didn’t want to waste any more time to handle it properly. Every second that kid is out of sight is another second that they’re at the risk of being in danger. So you merely crouched down and scooped up some snow to pat against the spot, albeit clumsily. You straightened and held your arms out, though with difficulty, in a ‘Tada!’ pose.

Sans didn’t look very impressed. “…you sure you don’t need any help there, pal?”

“Nah, I’m good. I feel good. Numb, but good,” you insisted, waving a hand dismissively.

He shrugged and let you be you. “alright then.”

“Right.”

“right.”

“Right?”

“…shouldn’t you be going? the kid moves fast, ya know.”

“Oh! Right! I’ll uh… see you later or something?” You began stepping backwards towards the path, shooting him lopsided finger guns in farewell. He returned it with a short wave, chuckling lowly.

“mm. take care, pal.”

Giving a last nod, you turned around and started fast-walking as you followed after the footprints, holding your injured shoulder with just enough tolerable pressure. The snow was thickly laid out and soft, so it was easy enough for you to see the indents without having to squint directly into the ground. You didn’t have time nor interest in checking out your surroundings, Chara’s safety at the forefront of your mind, but you began to realize that the kid was following Sans’ brother’s footsteps real closely, almost side by side. What were they up to?

It wasn’t until you heard distinct cackling in the distance did you look up and instantly balked. Chara was standing in front of the two skeletons, making absolutely no effort to hide. When did Sans even get passed you!?

The short skeleton was too busy looking up at his brother in admiration to notice you behind the kid. Papyrus, if you weren’t mistaken, was saying some sort of spiel about popularity as he struck a dramatic pose, scarf blown back and sparkles around his eyesockets.

…You wished you could look that cool.

 “HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA!”

Oh boy, you should get going.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!”

Oh no you won’t.

“I WILL THEN—WAIT, IS THAT ANOTHER ONE!?”

You ran forward to step in front of Chara just as Sans snickered. “heh, nah, bro. i still think that’s a ro-- hey, _watch out_!”

Too late. In your clumsy sprint towards them you accidentally dug your toes too deeply into the snow, causing you to trip and fall forward. Honestly, how many times must you faceplant into the ground at this rate? Though, your cynical train of thought stopped dead in its tracks as you watched the world tip over before your view was mostly covered by rock. You swore you could've detected a strange tint of blue within your line of sight, but quickly dashed it away as your cry was muffled into the snow.

You felt a jarring pain shoot through your skull before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its a struggle to write the skelebros those who execute them perfectly have my respect A+++


	6. That Comedian.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up to a blue skeleton and a killer headache. 
> 
> Also jokes??  
> Bad jokes terrible jokes goat mother would be proud.

You stared ahead of you as the darkness around muted all sounds.

The body of the child should’ve made your blood run cold, but you were oddly calm as you looked over their motionless form. A redness had started to bloom from underneath them as you stepped closer, your shoes somehow causing ripples on the ground with each step. Each one bounced back towards you as they reached the child and vice versa, the process repeating until the floor was an intangible mess of small waves.

Getting down to your knees, you picked them up gently, oh so slowly so as to not wake them up, and gingerly rested their head on your lap. Their head rolled back, and your gut twisted as you see their bloodied lips twitching as they tried to say something. Brushing their hair lightly, you leaned in close and…

**“GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE MTT BRAND PRODUCTS TODAY! WHETHER IT BE BEAUTY PRODUCTS, HEALTH PRODUCTS, SPORTS PRODUCTS, HAIR PRODUCTS; WE HAVE IT ALL! AND YOU COULD BE THE STAR OF THE SHOW YOURSELF, DARLING!! STAY TUNED!!”**

You blinked your eyes open, mildly groaning at how groggy you felt as you sat up, a hand at your forehead. The drone of the TV was easily ignored as you glanced about trying to figure out where you were. You were in a house; easy enough to realize that, and currently lying on a lumpy green couch. The TV in front of you was broadcasting a show about a flamboyant calculator on a wheel, a chipper tune playing in the background. It must’ve woken you up during the commercial break.

“well, good to see you’re finally up, pal.”

You glanced to the side to see Sans with his broad grin standing at the bottom of a staircase, a bundle in his hands and nervously sweating. You squinted at him, licking at your dry lips. “Wh… what happened?”

His eye-lights darted around to avoid your sleepy gaze, his phalanges clutching the bundle tightly. “uh, y-you sorta tripped over your toes and hit your head on a rock. almost had me and my bro worried there, too. good thing pap knew a bit of healing magic for it, ya know? heh heh…”

Sans seemed… _rattled_ about something. Your eyes landed on the bundle and after staring for a moment, you realized that they were clothes.

 _Your_ clothes.

You looked down and realized that you were completely bare save for the layer of bandages lying across your chest from your armpit to your shoulder. You yelped and grabbed at the blanket draped over your legs and used that to cover up whatever trace of dignity you had left, which to be honest, wasn’t a lot.

Your face was burning, and the suspicious blue that dusted over Sans’ face seemed to mirror your own feelings quite clearly. A brief moment of silence passed over the room before you cleared your throat, though your voice still came out in a horrified squeak.

“D-did you… were you the one who…?” you let the question hang in the air, though you helped out by vaguely gesturing towards your torso. He still wasn’t looking at you, though he must’ve seen the movement out of the corner of his eyesockets, because he shook his head.

“ah, no. that wasn’t me. pap did it actually. he did a good job, didn’t he?” he still couldn’t hold back the pleased tone in his voice whenever his brother was mentioned, but you failed to notice it as your mouth dropped open.

His _brother_ was the one who _undressed_ you?

You made a strangled keening noise as you curled into the blanket, because fucking _hell_ that’s even _worse._ You’ve barely spared his brother a glance and he’s already seen you _naked_? You continued screaming into the sheets in a high-pitched noise, and barely flinched as a weight settled near your feet at the other end of the couch.

“if it’s of any comfort, he didn’t really uh… t-touch you. he was being very clinical about it.”

You took a deep breath before lifting your head to look at him. “That does not reassure me in the slightest, Sans.”

“w-well, i mean. it’s not a big deal, you know. he’s not really interested in humans that way.”

Oh my god, Sans, stop talking.

“Do you have anything I could wear, at least?” you mumbled through the fuzzy material, wanting to get covered up as soon as possible. He nodded briskly and pulled out two garments from his hoodie, handing them over to you.

The first one was a pair of shorts, and you had to clumsily wiggle into them as you laid on the couch with the blanket covering your legs. At least Sans had the decency to look away, although the blue on his face hadn’t disappeared fully after all that time. You had to thank possibly multiple holy beings for the fact that you still had your underwear. Some things are just meant to be kept a secret from pompous high-strung skeletons, after all.

The second garment Sans had passed to you was a t-shirt that fit you loosely, a nice bright orange thing with the words ‘MASTER SPAGHETTORE’ written across in crude red handwriting. As you fitted it over your head, your fingers brushed over something textured over your temple, and you realized it was some sort of patch as your thumb picked at it a bit. Must’ve been when you bulldozed into that rock…

After that was done, you finally sat up and settled your feet on the floor, avoiding Sans’ gaze and instead staring at the TV. You heard a scratching noise coming from beside you, and figured that the skeleton was probably dragging his fingers across the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. Or would it be his skull? You don’t know, man, he was bone all over.

“so uh… how’s your shoulder?” he mumbled, still picking at his bones with that _scritch-scritch_ noise. You think it’s his cheek this time.

“S’fine. Kinda sore, but uh, fine,” you muttered back.

“that’s good.”

"Mm."

Silence.

“by the way, you’re… welcome to stay however long you’d like.”

You shifted so you could glance at him briefly. He was still looking to the side, small remains of the blueness still on his cheekbones, though not as much as before. You coughed into a fist.

“That’s nice. …Thank you.”

“no problem… my bro insisted on it, actually.”

“Ah.”

More silence.

Hoo boy, you could practically taste the static in the air.

“so… i was wondering,” he began, though a thought suddenly struck you. You swiveled around to face him, a bewildered look on your face.

“Th-the kid! Chara! Where are they!?” You stood up and let the blanket fall to the floor, pacing about the room to look for any sign of them being there.

Sans followed you to the kitchen with his hands up in reassurance. “whoa, calm down, bucko. they went back outside with papyrus to finish his puzzles. you may have been down for the count, but pap has always insisted on traditional customs when humans are involved. and that includes puzzles. actually… heh, it always includes puzzles. so, ya know,” he shrugged.

You weren’t really sure if you could trust this ‘Papyrus’ person to not hurt Chara, and gripped the hem of your shirt apprehensively. It was probably obvious what you were thinking as Sans quickly added, “believe me, they’re in safe hands. pap would never be able to hurt a soul, even if he wanted to.”

Rubbing your arms, you finally nodded and tried to relax. You haven’t met Papyrus yet, but if his brother wasn’t too bad, then maybe the same could be said for the other skeleton. Letting out a sigh, you pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down, head in your hands.

“I’m sorry, I just… I made a promise to this nice lady and I can’t help feeling like I’m doing a terrible job of keeping it,” you muttered. Sans didn’t say anything, though he did take a seat in the chair opposite yours. He gave you some time to gather yourself before speaking up.

“um, sorry if it’s too soon for you, but. do you wanna go get some grub? your HP’s been depleted pretty bad, and we should fix that before anything… bad happens.”

“H…P?” What in the heck is a hetch-pee?

He gave a chuckle. “soul stuff. i’m sure at this point you’ve heard about it right? it’s basically what’s keeping you alive.”

“Oh.” You thought back to that time where Flowey hit you with pellets and how you felt significantly better after one of Toriel’s pies. “You’re saying food replenishes it?”

A wink. “bingo.”

“Oh.” You can handle that information. It’s basically like a video game. Suddenly Flowey’s lesson about LV made sense, although you weren’t sure what LOVE had to do with it. Right at that moment your stomach began to grumble and your face reddened once again in embarrassment.

“oh wow. what in the hell was that?” Sans’ eyes widened in amusement.

You grumbled, planting your face on the table and clutching at your sides. “Human stuff. My body is basically saying it needs to be fed before I pass out.”

“oh.”

Well, the two of you sure are learning a lot, aren’t you?

“human bodies are…” he started.

You looked up. What? Interesting? Weird? Deformed?

“…amusing.”

Well, you weren’t expecting _that_. You snorted, “Are you saying I’m funny-looking to you?”

“not funny-looking per se, it’s just that you’ve got these weird organs and substances in your body that creeps me out sometimes. all humans’ bodies do, actually,” he shrugged.

“ _Wow._ I could say the same to you. You know humans are skeletons but with the muscles and tendons and shit hanging on to their bones, right? I mean, basically,” you waved a hand. “The only time you’d see the actual skeleton is when their flesh fall off when they rot. Imagine seeing something like you walking and talking and making horrible jokes at your expense. It’s like seeing death portrayed with a personality or something.”

He visibly shriveled, tucking his head into his hoodie. “don’t make this even _weirder_ for the two us, dude.”

“Can’t help it. You started it.”

“yeah well, we’re all the same _on the inside_ after all,” he winked.

You snickered. “No- _body_ would have guessed it.”

His eyes lit up before his grin turned devilish. “gee, didn’t think you had it _in_ you.”

“Maybe I’m not as _hardheaded_ as you think.”

“now it just seems like you've _got a bone to pick_ with me."

"Aw c'mon, I thought we're just _ribbing_ each other."

"guess we're both bad. as in, _bad to the bone_."

“Oh my god, that was _terrible_ ,” you broke out of focus as you bit your knuckles to stifle your giggles. Sans looked like he was enjoying him as well, the subtle blue on his cheekbones spreading warmth to his grin. You wondered how many horrible-as-fuck skeleton puns you could weed out of this guy before he runs out. That sounded like a fun challenge. You were about to provoke another one out of him before your stomach made another noise.

Oh right.

You were starving.

“heh, guess that’s my cue to get you some food, huh? i’ll be right back with some burgers for ya, alright?” he stood up with his hands in his pockets and made his way to the door. “you want some fries, too?” he called out as he reached for the doorknob.

“That sounds like greasy heaven, actually,” you yelled back, starting to drool a little.

Sans chuckled and shook his head, stepping out. His last words were “make yourself at home” before the door clicked shut behind him. Your chest buzzed with good feelings after such a nice exchange and you made your way back to the living room with a pep in your step. You were about to settle back down onto the couch when you noticed your guitar case propped up against the wall beside it.

Come to think of it, you never really checked to see if it was fine after you had your ‘fall’ back in the Ruins, did you? You were so preoccupied with current events that you never stopped to consider if your instrument had been damaged.

God, you hoped not.

Carefully lifting the case and setting it down on the floor, you opened it and let out a sigh of relief as you registered that the guitar was fine. Your fingers brushed lovingly across its shiny wooden surface, and plucked each string gently in a random order, just happy to feel it vibrate in the case. The dumb sticker you regrettably placed near its sound hole that one time was still there, though its color had faded.

Your smile twitched at the memory where you placed it as revenge against a friend.

_“Aw dude, what have you done!? It looks hideous now what the fuck.”_

_“I’m so offended by that you don’t even know. I should put another one as compensation for my hurt feelings.”_

_“Oh my god, don’t you dare!”_

Ah, those were the good times.

Before you could properly play around with it, the sound of the door swinging open made you close the case, hastily putting away your guitar. The smell of food had already reached you before Sans could take one step inside, and damn did it make you salivate. You gulped audibly as Sans shuffled up, your eyes fixed on the paper bag he held in his hand.

“Th-that was quick,” you mumbled, trying hard not to lose control.

“heh, they don’t call it _fast_ food for nothing. besides, grillby’s was pretty _slow_ today. usually it’s packed around this time. must be your lucky day.”

Honestly, you didn’t care as long as you could shove whatever it was in that bag in your mouth as soon as possible. Sans beckoned you over to the kitchen, already halfway there. You followed suit.

_ _ _

“This is heaven in a burger. Sans, I literally have a chunk of paradise in my hands and it’s deliciously edible,” you exclaimed as you took another bite. Sans hummed happily in satisfaction to know that you liked it as he watched you eat, his chin propped up in his hand with his eyesockets crinkling at the edges. You would’ve been a bit unsettled at the attention, but honestly you were too busy feeding your greedy mouth to say anything about it. Your injuries felt significantly better too as you ate, just as Sans promised.

This soul stuff is pretty neat.

You had a few fries left on your plate when Sans tapped a finger on the table, gaining your attention. His eye-lights seemed to have dimmed a little as he regarded you carefully, though you kept munching on your potatoes as you waited for him to say something.

“so uh, i’ve been meaning to ask a couple questions, if that’s ok?”

You made a noise of acceptance and waved a fry for him to continue.

“first of all… sorry if it sounds weird, but what sort of relation do you have with the kid?”

You took a moment to consider your words. And also to consume more fries. Dang, the fries are good. “We’re mostly victims of the same circumstances, I think. Fell down a hole together, trapped in the Underground together, trying to get out of here with our souls intact together. Basically,” you decided.

“so you’re not, like, related or anythin’? distant cousins even?”

“Nah. In fact we just met. If you could even believe that.”

He nodded, though with a skeptical look on his face. “ok, well, here’s another question. what were you doin’ carrying that thing around before you got down here?” he pointed towards the living room, probably to indicate the guitar case you’ve been lugging around all day.

“Oh, geez. To be honest I don’t remember anything before ending up down here,” you laughed sheepishly. “I was probably on my way to a random gig at a bar or something. I go to those occasionally, you know? Pays well if you know your stuff.”

His frown deepened, and you were starting to worry that you’ve somehow offended him before he spoke up. “buddy… you do know we’re under a _mountain_ , right? what i meant was, what were you doing climbing a mountain carrying something like _that_?”

You choked on your last fry and spat it out on the table.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. much dialogue. amaze. and the same horrible puns driven to the ground?? practically perfect. (im sorry im bad with puns i tried my best mom)


	7. Second Impressions are Very Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're finally up-to-date with your situation, but how exactly were you supposed to get /through/ your situation?  
> Also the tall dork brother is back.
> 
> ...Man, that kid is dusty.

So.

A couple things.

Apparently you’ve fallen down a hole into a mountain infamously known as Mt. Ebott.

Where magical monsters have thrived underground after being banished there.

By humans after they lost the Great Monsters vs Humans War or something like that thousands of years ago.

And now they’re actively seeking out human souls in order to break the Barrier that’s keeping them in because that’s just? How it works?? And that’s not all??

What _were_ you doing climbing a mountain carrying nothing but your guitar case? Not even a phone or a map or anything? Were you camping? Were you on a quick hike to the mountain for some breath of fresh air? Or were you… up there for a much darker reason?

God your head was starting to hurt.

By the end of Sans’ long history lesson, you were feeling pretty nauseous and queasy, and almost regretted gobbling down that burger so fast. A few times you might have almost vomited it back out, but quickly held back so as not to disgust your host. Although the look on his face seemed to tell you that he was pretty grossed out anyway.

“you humans and your weird human guts.”

You clasped at your stomach and held a finger up, not looking him in the eyes. “Hold on, I still need to process my current situation at the moment, alright?”

“heh, take all the time you need to get it your of your _system_.”

…

This smug-ass shit-eating Cheshire-grinned piece _of fuck skeleton with his fucking_ \--

“aw, don’t give me that look. i know it’s a bit much to _digest_ , but i was _aching_ to tell ya that one.”

“Sans, for the love of god.”

“i guess these puns aren’t _meat-_ ing your standards, huh?”

“Sans, _please_.”

You had a grin on your face, but your brows were furrowed in a weak glare as the skeleton continued to beam maniacally, swinging his legs underneath the table as they failed to reach the floor. He leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes, probably preparing for another when the door slammed open.

“THERE’S NO NEED TO BE UPSET, SMALL HUMAN! PERHAPS SOMEDAY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONQUER MY BRILLIANT PUZZLES, BUT IT SEEMS TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY!” Papyrus’ wavering voice rang out from the front of the house, and you craned your neck over Sans’ skull to see what the commotion was all about.

You slapped a hand over your mouth to stifle your giggles, for Chara’s sake at least. The tall skeleton was holding them up by their armpits, the latter looking very much like a disgruntled cat, what with their hair messed up with sticks and snow, a single pink glove held in one of their fists and their sweater a bit dusty from dirt.

Sans waved a hand over the back of his chair in greeting, “welcome back, bro. did ya have fun?”

The skeleton frowned disapprovingly. “NOT QUITE. I TRIED TO GET THE SMALL HUMAN TO PARTICIPATE IN MY PUZZLES, BUT THEY KEPT RUNNING AWAY AND REFUSING TO SOLVE THEM! I SUPPOSE I’VE MADE THEM A BIT TOO DIFFICULT. WHY, THE ONLY TIME THEY HAD PASSED FAIR AND SQUARE HAD BEEN MY SPAGHETTI TRAP, AND FRANKLY I FIND MYSELF TO BE BOTHERED BY THAT."

Chara had stopped writhing at that point and was now suspended in midair, their head dropped in humiliation. Papyrus settled them on the ground and ruffled their hair, causing sticks to fall on the floor. The child made a miffed noise and ducked away, sticking their tongue out at the skeleton before stomping away with crossed arms.

Ah, kids.

You stood up to follow after them, but not before looking at Papyrus. “Hey, thanks for taking care of them while I was out. And for uh…” you cleared your throat, “t-taking care of me as well.”

“NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL, TALLER HUMAN! IT IS THE LEAST THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN DO AS ONE OF YOUR HOSTS! …BY THE WAY,” he bent down and lowered his volume, though his whisper sounded more like quiet yelling, “MY BROTHER DID NOT SUBJECT YOU TO HIS HORRIBLE JOKES, DID HE?”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Oh, yes he did.”

“NYEH! I APOLOGIZE ON HIS BEHALF, HUMAN!” he backed up and looked so utterly dismayed that you had to pat his (armored?) chest in reassurance.

“Ah man, it’s okay. Your brother was just having a little _pun_.”

“BUT STILL! I EXPECTED HIM TO BE MORE--” he paused, squinting down at you, “…HUMAN.”

“…Yes?”

“I AM UTTERLY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU.”

You doubled over as you laughed at the way he said it so matter-of-factly, though he was still grinning amicably, his face twitching as he tried to cover it up. He cleared his throat and reassembled his fake annoyed frown.

“ALAS, I HAVE LEFT YOU ALONE FOR TOO LONG AND NOW HE HAS CORRUPTED YOU BEYOND REPAIR. THAT WAS EVEN WORSE THAN SANS’!”

“hey, at least they’re trying,” the other skeleton called out from the kitchen.

“Yeah, give me some credit, Pap,” you quipped.

“NO! NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN TO ANY—” he suddenly sputtered mid-rant, an orange tint spreading across his cheekbones as he looked down at you in uncertainty. “WAIT, D-DID YOU… WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?”

“Um. Pa…p?” you darted your eyes to the side after lightly popping the ‘p’. Was it too soon to be calling him that? Whoops.

“W-WOWIE!” he practically squealed, bringing his hands up to his face. “DOES… DOES THAT MEAN YOU CONSIDER ME AS A FRIEND? A FRIEND SO CLOSE THAT, IT IS NOW SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE TO ADDRESS EACH OTHER BY THE FANTASTIC USE OF NICKNAMES?”

Uhm.

You… nodded?

The guy touched your special bits and has already seen you naked after all so you supposed… yes?

If anything, he only squealed _harder_. “WOWIE! MY FIRST HUMAN FRIEND! AND WE’VE NEVER EVEN TALKED TO EACH OTHER BEFORE. MY FRIENDSHIP SKILLS MUST BE FAIRLY AMAZING, SO MUCH SO THAT I’M MAKING THEM WITH JUST MY PRESENCE!”

He posed grandly as he held a gloved hand to his chest. “HUMAN! I ACCEPT YOUR COMPANIONSHIP. I WILL NOW ADDRESS YOU WITH THE SPECIAL MONIKER OF ‘HUMAN FRIEND’. TRULY THE PERFECT NICKNAME FOR A COMPANION OF SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I. ALSO I DO NOT KNOW YOUR NAME SO THAT’S WHY.”

He glanced down at you expectedly. You refrained from striking a pose with enough effort, though you still shot him a finger-gun and a wink. “I love it, Pap.”

“NYEH HEH HEH, OF COURSE YOU DO!” he closed his eyesockets in glee, and _gosh that was adorable._

Sans suddenly popped up between the two of you, grinning impishly up at Papyrus. “so i guess you could say…”

His brother’s jaw dropped open in horror. “SANS, DON’T YOU D—”

“…that you’re _bone buddies_ now.”

A thwap sounded as the taller skeleton facepalmed with a groan. You laughed, though not without a blush on your face at the hidden meaning behind the pun. Papyrus sniffed down at you, his arms akimbo.

“HUMAN FRIEND! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY LAUGHING AT HIS AWFUL JOKES? I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS.”

You bit your lip as you reached out for his gloved hand, holding it up with a glint in your eyes. The skeleton frowned in confusion before you choked out, “You c-caught me _red-handed_ there, P-papyrus.”

You know. Because of his gloves. They were red. And they were on his hands.

“NYEHH! THAT IS ENOUGH. I AM LEAVING. YOU TWO ARE FREE TO STINK UP THE LIVING ROOM WITH YOUR ATROCIOUS PUNS, BUT I WILL HAVE NONE OF IT!”

With that he tossed his scarf behind him and sauntered off, probably towards his room grumbling mildly to himself. You felt a tap on your shoulder and you turned to see Sans giving you an appreciative look. “hey, you made him smile too. good job.”

You bumped your shoulder to his, mirroring his own grin. “I can see why you keep doing it. He seems like a great guy.”

He sighed happily. “he is, isn’t he?”

“Possibly the best skeleton I’ve ever met.”

“wow, right in front of me?”

“And so good-looking, too.”

“okay, now i know you’re lying. come on, buddy.”

“Oh sorry, did I hit a _nerve_ with that one?”

“do you really wanna start with that?”

“Not really no. I take it back please have mercy on my soul.”

“heh, thought so.”

An odd noise sounded from in front of you, and you whipped your head to see Chara curled into a ball on the couch, a dirty look on their face directed towards the two of you. You flushed slightly for some reason, and even Sans had to look sheepish.

“i’m uh, upstairs if you need me, alright? door’s at the end of the hallway,” he nodded at you before shuffling away. You watched him leave before regarding the ten-year-old in front of you, who stared back with a knowing look in their eyes. You huffily crossed your arms before frowning at the state they were in. They looked like they needed a serious bath time after all that time outside.

“Maybe you should get yourself cleaned up before you have a nap, kiddo,” you chided them gently.

They shook their head and curled in tighter, refusing to look at you. You strutted over and lightly tugged on their sweater, “C’mon, kid, you’ll mess up the couch. You don’t wanna inconvenience your hosts, do you?”

Another shake of the head. Pause. A nod.

Ah geez.

“Welp, you forced my hand, kid. Now take your _punishment_.”

Their eyes widened in panic at that and they looked up at you in bewilderment, before jumping off the couch. You were quicker than that though, and grabbed them before pulling them down with you, their back pinned to your chest. They started to frantically wave their arms about, almost desperately in fact, before bursting into short childish giggles as you tickled their sides up and down.

“That’s what you get for being a brat!” you laughed heartily even as they pressed their palms to your face, tears at the corners of their eyes. When they seemed out of breath, you finally showed them mercy and let them go with a chuckle. The child crawled out of your lap before draping themselves over the armrest on the opposite side, panting heavily.

“Now will you have a shower?” you smirked.

They contemplated for a few moments before nodding reluctantly.

_ _ _

After a quick shower and a change of clothes from Sans, you sat down with Chara in front of the TV to dry out their hair with a towel; the child’s head between your knees as they sat on the floor while you were up on the couch.

You frowned at what was screening at the moment, though the kid seemed to enjoy it immensely. From what you could understand, it was some sort of violent parody of Romeo and Juliet, though strangely it was renamed into Metta-meo and Metta-liet, featuring the one-wheeled calculator from before as both characters? Weird.

The kid fiddled absentmindedly with the glove they had found as they watched, though you were slightly peeved at how dusty the fingers were. Where’d they find it anyway? Oh well.

You tossed the towel over your shoulder once you've tussled their hair enough, and gently raked your fingers through the strands to straighten them out. Chara didn’t seem to mind, although they did tug away after a couple times you did it. Kid liked their space, you supposed.

As you continued to watch the show, you can’t help but feel obligated to tell Chara about the reality of your situation at the moment. About the monsters, the Barrier, and the necessary human souls. Sure, they were just a kid, but they deserved to know just how much trouble you were actually in for being humans in the Underground.

Suddenly Toriel’s warning made a hell of a lot of sense after Sans’ impromptu history lesson.

Besides, maybe they’d stop running off to god knows where all the time if you did. But how were you going to approach them about it?

You gave them a little tap on their head with your knuckles, and they twisted their neck to look at you, the look on their face curious, if not a bit annoyed. Chuckling lightly, you rubbed your hands together before speaking up. “So uh… sorry to interrupt your TV time but… there’s something I have to tell you.”

 And you did. You tried to repeat back what Sans had said on verbatim, but paraphrased a few things so they didn’t sound so… grim. The kid looked somewhat bored as they listened, as if they’d already knew, but you asked them twice if they understood and to that, they nodded.

…Guess that was good enough for you?

That went better than you thought.

You leaned back and stretched, the day’s events suddenly catching up to you. Had it really been only a couple hours since you fell down here? It seemed like weeks had passed. Exhaustion had finally caught up with you it seemed, and though you were passed out a few hours ago, you still felt pretty tired.

Chara looked up at you attentively, their grip on the glove a bit more firm. They tilted their head to the side as if to ask a silent question. You yawned in response.

“Yeah, m’feeling a bit tired. Mind if I sleep now, kiddo?” you had already tucked yourself underneath the blanket and saddled up against the couch, though you made sure there was enough room for the kid too. “Just squeeze in whenever you feel like hitting the hay, alright? I won’t mind.”

They nodded, and the last thing you saw before closing your eyes was the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of their lips.

It was the first time you’ve seen them without a scowl on their face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy the minor fluff while it lasts, kids


	8. Grin Your Bones to Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up to an unpleasant chain of events.  
> Also you meet an old friend.

Cars and crowds of people; they were surrounding you on all sides. The loud incessant honking mixed in with the wailing sirens in the distance should’ve annoyed you, but they didn’t. An ambulance on the way here? Maybe the police?

All of those didn’t matter as you stared down at the familiar form in front of you, their striped sweater stained with dark crimson. A heavy feeling weighed down on your chest. What had just happened? Was it all your fault? Was there anything you could’ve done to-

**“W A K E U P .”**

You opened your eyes and bolted upright, a chill running down your spine as your head whipped around wildly. You found yourself staring up at Sans, though the way he looked down at you with his tense grin and empty sockets made you clutch at the blanket tightly.

“S-Sans? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He reached out a hand and laid it on your bandaged shoulder, only to grip _so hard_ you were sure he had dislodged it out of its socket. You yelled out and tried to pull away, though it seemed hopeless with the way his fingers dug sharply into your flesh.

He leaned in close to your face, and you jumped as a bright flare of blue lit up in his left socket, throwing a shadow over his features and making him look all the more threatening. He sucked in a breath.

_“w h a t ’d y o u d o t o m y b r o t h e r ?”_

“W-what? S-Sans, I d-d-don’t underst—”

You squeaked as he shoved a bright red material in your face, its surface covered with a thin layer of white powder. He was starting to shake as he held it up, blue tears collecting at the edges of his eyesockets. “t-tell me… tell me this isn’t _his dust_.”

Dust? Was he asking about the weird ritual where they spread piles of it everywhere? What the fuck.

You swallowed and turned to avert your gaze, your eyes starting to tear up from the pain. Sans must’ve realized it, because the pressure in which he held your wounded shoulder let up, but only slightly. You took a moment to breathe before staring up at him. “I-I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Sans.”

He inhaled sharply through his nose-hole, and you would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the tension in the air. Pulling away, he slung the material over his neck and it was then did you realize that it looked a lot like his brother’s scarf. He shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched over, though his form was still rigid nonetheless; the blue flames in his eyesocket snuffed out.

You rubbed at your shoulder tentatively, sniffing a little. You were about to ask what the hell was up with him before he beat you to the punch. “…where’s the kid?”

“Huh?”

“C h a r a. where are they?”

“W-wait,” you glanced throughout the room, your chest tightening. “Th-they’re not here?”

His grin stretched, though it wasn’t out of amusement. “i wouldn’t be asking you if they were, _pal.”_

“I-I don’t know?” you cast the blanket aside, standing up over the skeleton and running your hand through your hair. “Fuck, why do they keep doing this!?”

Your scarfed-companion remained silent as you ran around the house calling out their name, your panic rising with every second that passed. You checked the kitchen, you checked the upstairs, hell you even went through the bones in that tall cupboard in the kitchen to see if they had hidden there. Nothing.

 It wasn’t until you made your third round did Sans mumble something under his breath just as you passed by. You looked back at him quizzically, your breath coming out in short pants. “Wh-what was that?”

He looked at you almost regrettably, sweat beading at his skull. "i… i have to make them RESET.”

“R-reset? Sans, please, what is going on?” you walked up to him and held his shoulders, shaking him slightly in your panic. “What do you mean by that?”

He glanced up, his eyesockets once again a pair of darkness as his brows furrowed in an almost pained look. “…i have to kill them.”

_Ping!_

Your hands dropped, hanging in mid-air as the skeleton before you disappeared without a trace. Your fingers twitched, once, twice, before you started to stagger backwards from shock.

 _What the fuck just happened?_ Where’d Sans go? What is even going on!?

Your back hit the wall and you slid down to your ass. You didn’t realize you were hyperventilating until your eyes started to get spotty and your chest started to hurt. Clutching at the hem of your shirt, you willed yourself to calm down in order to think.

Deep breaths.

In.

Out.

In.

…There you go.

You blinked past your tears and looked around briefly, still in a daze. A few minutes passed, though it felt like seconds as you struggled to process even the slightest bit of what had just occurred. Confusion still clouded your brain, though there were a couple things you were sure of at this moment.

Chara was missing, that was glaringly obvious, though the same couldn’t be said about Papyrus and Sans is freaking out about it. There was also the dust that, over the course of several hours since you’ve arrived, you could see that it was an unpleasant topic among monsters whenever it was mentioned.

…Why?

Shaking your head, you cast aside that thought for now. Right now you’ve been left behind by practically everyone in this house as they traipse around outside. Chara had run off along with Papyrus and Sans seemed desperate to find them as soon as possible after that scarf he’d found. But there was something else you seemed to have forgotten…

Your head jerked up, almost smacking against the wall behind you. Did Sans say he was going to…?

Oh no.

Ohhh no no no.

Not on your watch, amigo.

You don’t know what sort of problem Sans had against Chara that was so big that he had to actually… do _that_ to them but surely he wasn’t serious? Whatever, you weren’t going to take any chances, not in this place where simply being a human caused you to be a public enemy.

You were on your way to the door when you see your guitar case out of the corner of your eye. Should you…?

Well, something told you you weren’t going to come back here anytime soon, even with Chara, so within a few seconds you had slung the case over your shoulder, careful to avoid your injured one. Call you ridiculous, but the sentimental value of that guitar was worth more than anything you’ve ever had.

Your shoulder was healing pretty good until Sans happened, but for now there was a barely noticeable throb within the flesh. You could afford to ignore it though as you stepped towards the door before stopping _again_.

It was cold outside, with snow and shit; you admit you almost forgot about that. Going out in a pair of shorts and just a shirt would be a terrible fucking idea. Setting your case on the floor, you frantically began to search for your bloodied jacket around the house. Sans must’ve taken it somewhere to be washed, along with the rest of your clothes as your hunt for it was fruitless.

Frustrated, you decided you had wasted enough time and hastily snatched the blanket by the couch, wrapping it around your form and bunching the material around your shoulders to form a hood. It didn’t cover your legs very well, but it was the best you could do. Retrieving your case, you gave one last look towards the empty house before finally stepping out.

It had gotten considerably darker for some reason, probably to signify ‘night time’ as you glanced about outside. How it worked well underneath a mountain, you had no idea, but you instantly chalked it up to ‘magic’ as far as monsters went. You could ask Sans later... or not.

Picking a random direction, you rubbed your palms together vigorously as you began your search, the chilly air already making you shiver. The blanket helped, but just barely.

You thought of going back to the house for another layer before deciding against it. You’ve already boondoggled enough back there, and Chara was still missing. At least your case protected your back against the biting cold, and you also made an attempt to warm yourself up by jogging lightly through the town you found yourself in, keeping an eye out for the brunette ten-year-old that caused this mess as your breaths condensed slightly in the air.

As you progressed past unfamiliar buildings and houses, you can’t help feeling a bit of dread crawl up your back. From the looks of it, the town you were in seemed like one of those awful cheery and cozy ones; like the feeling of hot chocolate at your fingertips through a mug even on a cold day. Yet right now it just felt like the warmth had been sucked right out of the chocolate and you’re left with ice on your thumbs.

…Odd analogy but that’s what you went with.

An orange light ahead of you distracted you from your musings, and you hastened your pace to check it out. You found yourself looking up at a glaring neon sign spelled ‘Grillby’s’ in capitalized letters, though the ‘y’ was flickering every few seconds. Recognizing the name, it must’ve been where Sans bought you your food.

Hovering your nose over the glass windows, you concluded that the establishment was some sort of bar, if the booths by the walls and the shelves of drinks in the back were anything to go for. It was empty inside though, no sign of Chara, so you regrettably left the minor warmth that came from the place and continued on your way.

You passed by a Christmas tree, but didn’t pay it any mind.

You came across a tunnel to the right of you, but marched right pass.

You walked by—actually, you might have to check this out. A building, or two buildings to be precise, stood in front of you. They were conjoined in the middle, and you figured it must’ve been a shared business, whatever it is these buildings had to offer. A quick glance at the signs above the doors told you they were a shop-and-inn combo, if they were still applicable that is.

You trudged over and reached out a hand to try the inn door, but it was locked shut. The same could be said for the shop. They must close at night or something; Chara couldn't possibly be inside.

A few more steps forward brought you to a sign that said ‘WELCOME TO SNOWDIN’ in bold, the edges decorated with twinkling lights and intricate snowflake patterns at the corners. Though it was supposed to be a welcome sign, it only gave you the reversed effect as you realized that you had reached the end, or more accurately the beginning, of town.

At that point you were a shivering mess, still trying to hold on to whatever heat the blanket had to offer as the cold nipped at your exposed legs. All that and still no sign of Chara. 

Fuck.

Outside of the residential area ahead of you was a rope bridge spanning across a huge chasm, sturdy from the looks of it and clearly able to hold your weight if you were to cross over. But the question is, did you even want to? You almost felt like giving up. You had no idea how big the other side of this town was after all, and you still had to travel the other way if you can’t find Chara in this direction.

The mere thought of walking through more snow intensified your trembling, and you found yourself starting to sniffle miserably.

But, the kid… and Toriel… they were counting on you. Besides, if you were going through a hard time right now, what about Chara? What if they just snuck out and didn’t bring anything to keep themselves warm out in this weather? The kid had an incredible track record of being reckless and you wouldn’t put it pass them if they did just that.

…

_No._

_You can’t stop now._

_You had a promise to keep._

_You had a child to protect._

_You had to **stay determined.**_

In a burst of inspiration, you let out an agitated cry and took off in a sprint across the bridge, your makeshift hood flying off your head and your case bouncing precariously on your back. The cold nipped at your cheeks but the fire in your chest kept it away, at least for the moment. It almost felt like _someone_ was pushing you forward, lending you their strength to keep going and to keep—

“Whoa!” you skidded to a stop as a spray of snow burst forth from the ground in front you, getting into your eyes and nose. You sputtered and rubbed it away with your palms, squinting down at the thing that had caused the sudden onslaught of shivery coldness.

"Howdy!"

Oh.

You gaped, eyebrows raising before furrowing in suspicion. Flowey imitated your look, before twisting its head about, as if looking for something. Finally it turned to you, almost pleased. “Chara left you behind, didn’t they?”

You stiffened. “W-what’s it to you?” Damn it, you stuttered. Fuck this cold. You rubbed your arms surreptitiously as it lifted a leaf in a single shrug.

“Just asking," it chirped, though it was happy that its suspicion had been confirmed. "Don’t feel bad now, they've always been like that. Never one to wait, but a take-action kind of person, ya know?” it chuckled before its smile started to strain. “…Though they were never one to consider consequences much either, and now look where we are.”

That’s… interesting? “They’re just scared. I’ll find them eventually,” you stated firmly.

Flowey all out _cackled_ at your statement, bending over at its stalk. “Chara? _Scared? As if!”_ it wiped away an invisible tear with its leaf before regarding you with amuse. “If anyone should be scared here, it’s _you_ , idiot. Along with everyone in this garbage dump of a town.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have time for this,” you scoffed and shifted to step aside, before a  white pellet appeared and whipped past your head. You stilled.

“You haven't figured it out yet?” glancing back down, you gulped nervously as Flowey’s eyes turned black and his innocent smile morphed into a sharp-teethed sneer. "I thought you were an idiot before, but this is ridiculous."

“I…” gulp “…really don’t know what you’re going on about here, lil guy.”

Its sneer dropped into a disappointed grimace before it rolled its eyes, “I’ll make it easy for you.” It leaned forward on it stem, talking slowly, “Did you happen to notice a particular reaction to a particular substance, of which the amount keeps increasing the longer you are down here?”

“Are you… are you talking about the dust? Wh-what about it?”

Flowey’s mouth dropped open in genuine surprise before morphing into a grin of utterly despicable glee, its eyes crinkling at the corners in delight. “Golly, you really have _absolutely no idea_ , do you!?” It threw its head back as it snickered to itself, “They’re monster remains, IDIOT.”

Wait… “What?”

“Monsters turn to _dust_ when they _die._ ”

Your breath caught in your throat and your heart turned to lead. “Y-you’re kidding… you’ve gotta be kidding!”

“Sorry. I’m not one to makes jokes,” Flowey giggled, absolutely reveling in your horror as your knees started to wobble.

But that would mean… the dust… back in the Ruins… you had kicked it and touched it and messed with it and _oh god… there were so many of them._ Toriel forgave Chara after all of _that_? Or was she clueless as to how many murders they’ve actually committed by the time she served them pie?

And when Chara came back home with Papyrus. The dust in their sweater and the fingers of their glove. Pap had said they kept running off to do god knows what, and now… did that mean they had beaten monsters to death _with their fists?_ You didn’t want to believe it, but… what else were you supposed to believe?

And _Papyrus’ scarf._

You finally collapsed onto the snow, a mouth over your hand and tears running down your cheeks. _No wonder Sans had been so devastated. What was he supposed to think when he found his brother’s scarf dusty and the person in question nowhere in sight?_

“P-papyrus…” you sobbed out in a quiet wail. Flowey scoffed in front of you and took on a bored expression, waiting for you to get yourself together before continuing. You missed whatever it was Flowey had said and blinked, breathing in shallowly before speaking up. “Wh-what did you say?”

“I _said_ Chara’s headed the other way if you’re looking to avoid them. I suggest that you _do_ ,” it looked down at you almost pitifully as it spat out the words. “You’re of absolutely no use to Chara, and they can’t kill you anyway, either for LOVE or out of fun. You’d just be in their way.” It gave a final grin, this time wider than the ones before as it scrutinized you with white irises, _“But you’re not going to, are you?”_

Before you could even form a proper response, the flower had disappeared within the blink of an eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> has shit hit the fan?  
> //does the anime shiny glasses thing  
> yes. yes it has.


	9. Blue, Blue, Yellow, Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You travel through an area of waterfalls and starry ceilings and meet a couple quirky characters.  
> Well, not a couple.
> 
> Maybe like, two.

You stared at the spot Flowey had occupied just a few seconds ago, the snow seemingly undisturbed. A few stray whimpers still creeped past your throat as you sat up on your knees, wiping your cheeks hurriedly before your tears froze over. You still couldn't handle the barrage of information that had just been thrown into your face.

Chara was a murderer? After all this time, you had been trying to protect the very thing that was a danger to every other creature down here. Good job in executing that promise you made to Toriel; bet she'd be pleased to know her kind was being massacred by someone she had entrusted under your care. What was it that she had said? That Chara had suffered?

...Well, look who’s suffering now, kid.

You blinked and shook your head hurriedly. No no no, that’s not the way you’re supposed to think. The kid’s like, half your age, and something absolutely fucked up had to have happened to them to make them want to do something like this, especially to an innocent race of kind souls like these monsters.

A pang shot through your heart as you remembered the way they glared and clenched their teeth down at you before hurting you with that knife. Their eyes had glimmered with so much anguish and hostility.

But to commit mass genocide? What was going through their head the entire time you’ve been down here with them? Were they trying to get away with killing the entire time they were with you?

You bit your lip and screwed your eyes shut as another wave of tears spilled over and another lump formed in the back of your throat. God, Chara… what have you been through?

You finally gathered enough strength to stand up, the blanket over your body useless at keeping the freezing temperatures away as chunks of snow weighed it down and, along with the snow that had seeped in through your shorts, it was a miracle your skin hadn’t turned blue yet.

Or maybe it had. You were too busy looking over your shoulder in the distance to really care.

Flowey had said Chara was in the other direction; still on their killing spree throughout the Underground. Admittedly, Chara’s safety was still one of your biggest concerns, despite the awareness that they had done in so many monsters by now. But surely there was something you could do to stop them? You can’t bring the dust back to life, but you could at least save a child from walking down a darker path and attempt to save them from themselves, along with everyone else. At least, that's what you told yourself.

You had no idea how you were supposed to accomplish that but you let that thought slide to the very back of your mind as you dashed back across the bridge and through town, your blood pumping back into your numb limbs and warming you up with each heartbeat.

After reaching what you figured was the edge of the town, you had to slow down into a slower pace as you felt your surroundings turn into warmer and darker regions the further you progressed, which really wasn’t what you were expecting.

Two miniature waterfalls fell to the right of you, and to your left was a broad river you didn’t notice before, the current slowly passing by before being directed away to the west. You were surrounded entirely by bluish rocky walls too, instead of the open air back in Snowdin. Had you entered a cave or something?

You found another one of those wooden outposts up ahead, ‘sentry stations’ as Papyrus called them, and almost hoped to see Sans there; though the scarfed skeleton was nowhere to be seen. Your soul twinged when you remembered that Papyrus had been... well, there's nothing left to do about that now.

You left your blanket by the counter, thinking that Sans might see it and realize you had come through there. Besides, the humidity in the air had started to make you sweat a bit with the blanket on.

As you explored the area, you came across patches of grass as tall as your height, little buds of ‘bridge seeds’ and luminescent blue flowers trading whispers between one another. You would’ve wanted to appreciate every nook and cranny of this place, but with your current mission in mind, you found yourself incapable of enjoying yourself very much. You even found a room where ancient plaques with glowing handwriting were hung upon the walls, though you were too frantic to find Chara that you dismissed them entirely.

Maybe some other time, you thought woefully. Besides, you felt too sick after spotting the ninth or tenth pile of dust settled here and there to really care about sightseeing and the feeling grew worse as you came upon more.

…Chara had been busy.

_ _ _

A telescope in a cave.

Who puts a fucking telescope in a fucking cave?

Shaking your head, you brushed your fingers past the rickety contraption as you walked by, allowing yourself to be amused for a second at the prospect. Telescopes were for stargazing after all, and what else were you supposed to gaze at underneath a moun---

_…Oh._

You swallowed in awe as you tilted your head back all the more, your eyes tracking the stones twinkling prettily in the darkness set high in the ceiling. You didn’t realize your mouth had dropped open until your tongue had gone dry, and you quickly closed it followed by a few gulps. The sight was amazing, and your gut turned to think about all the lives that had been lost underneath all those shimmering gemstones.

Snapping back to reality, you dropped your head and forced yourself to focus. “You can fuck around here later, find the kid first,” you reaffirmed to yourself under your breath, stepping forward with more certainty. Marching forward, you stopped momentarily as a gap stretched before you, the other side quite a distance away.

Something in you told you that this way was quicker rather than turning back and going in the other direction. Stepping back, you grabbed the edges of your case behind you in case the extra weight threw you forward more than necessary. You didn't need another faceplant right now. You started to sprint before--

“Whoa!” you skidded to a stop as something yellow fluttered forth and quacked fiercely in front of you. Seriously, how many small brightly yellow things are trying to get run over today? You backed up a little as the bird before you continued to fluff up its wings and hop about. After a few seconds of confusion, you realized it was waving a wing towards you, itself, and then to the other side of the gap, specifically in that order.

Was it… offering to help you cross over?

“Uhm… t-thank you?” you tried reluctantly. The moment those words came out of your mouth it did a little jovial hop and squawk before flying over your head and latching on to your shoulders with its feet.

“Wh-whoa there! I like your spunk but do you really think you’re able to—gah!” you didn’t finish as your feet was lifted off the ground in a quick jerky movement. Your toes were barely a few inches above the floor, but the bird seemed confident it was able to accomplish the task.

It took a few minutes more than necessary, but you finally land on the other side safe and sound. What with your weight and the guitar case, the bird collapsed the moment you touched down. It seemed pleased anyway to have helped, so you gave it a quick pet on the head and a thank you before continuing on your way. Honestly, what a precious soul.

The smile on your face fell as you remembered that other ‘souls’ hadn’t been so lucky, and with your mouth set in a thin line you continued forwards. All around you were five separate paths, three on your left, one ahead and one by your right.

You took a chance and went straight ahead, though a signpost you passed by told you that it was the way towards ‘Hotland’. Once again you were almost sure that it was the right direction.

Walking in a steadily quick pace, you almost missed the abrupt sniff that sounded to your left, and a turn of your head had you staring at a giant tortoise shell jostling about behind a few good-sized boulders and stalagmites. You paused for a moment before clearing your throat.

The owner perked up instantly, the back of a pith helmet floating over their shell before they turned around. The tortoise-monster in front of you had a surprised look on their face before it morphed into one of cold disgust as they registered who, or what, you were.

They narrowed its one eye at you before sniffing again, grumbling in a gruff masculine voice, “Feh, I’ve either gotten way too old and currently seeing things, or it’s been planned that this day has plenty of surprises set fer me.”

You stuttered a bit, unsure on how to respond. “U-uh, hello? Um,” you coughed. “S-sorry but have you seen a kid pass by here? They’re like, this tall and kinda—” you didn’t finish as the monster let out a guffaw.

“Seen a kid? I was threatened and pointed a knife at by a kid. Yeah, they passed by, definitely,” he stroked his beard before scrutinizing you closely. “Yer not gonna try the same thing, are ya?”

“N-n-no! I’m just trying to…” your mind went blank, “t-to… actually, uh…”

The tortoise-monster continued to squint at you, pulling out a magnifying glass and hovering it over your face before dropping down to your chest. He gave an indignant huff before giving a less-than-toothy grin. “Ah, yev got a good soul in ya, kid. Just tryna keep the peace, eh? Wah ha ha! We could use more humans like you around.”

You’re… still unsure on how to respond. “Uh, thank you?”

He pocketed his magnifying glass and resumed stroking his beard, his demeanor much more pleasant than before. “Name’s Gerson! How can I help ya?”

“O-oh, as I was saying, I-I’m looking for the kid. Could you tell me—”

“Headed that way,” Gerson jabbed a thumb towards the path ahead of you, his face a bit more sullen as Chara was brought up once again. “Scowling and scamperin here and there with ballet shoes of all things, being a nuisance.”

“Oh, that’s… great? I guess I’m just gonna—”

“Where dya think yer going?” Gerson called out as you made a move to leave. You stopped mid-step and looked back at him.

“Uh… to find them? That’s… literally what I’ve been—”

“Are ya nuts? Kid’s got the dirtiest soul I’ve ever seen in my life, and believe me, I have lived a _very_ long life. You best be turnin the other way, whippersnapper, if ya want yer hide to stay on ya!”

You shuffled nervously in place, scratching at the back of your neck. “I uh, c-can’t really do that, sir,” was he a sir? Is it okay to call him sir? Fuck it he’s a sir, “I sorta made it my personal responsibility to look after the kid.”

He narrowed his eye at you, suspicious. “Really now? Yer doin a terrible job of it. How’d you even lose them in the first place?”

You flushed. “Th-that’s a long story I-I mean, th-there was this goat lady in the Ruins a-and she made me promise that I take care of them and I agreed but now they’re gone and —”

Gerson held up a hand. “Now now, wait a second. Did ya just mention a... ‘goat lady'?"

“I… yes?”

“…Hm.” The tortoise monster stroked his beard thoughtfully before scooting down to pop open a chest you didn’t notice before. He pulled out something from it and tossed it towards you, laughing as you fumbled to catch it after it thumped against your chest.

You glanced down at what looked like a juice box in your hand. The label read Sea… Tea?

“Wh-what’s this for?” you raised a brow at Gerson.

“You look parched, kid. Have a drink,” he winked, or was it really a wink when he only has one eye open? …Huh. “And good luck. Hope you find what yer looking for.”

“O-oh! Th-thank you,” you lowered your head awkwardly in respect. You had no idea why, you just felt compelled to do so before turning around and continuing on your way.

…That was possibly the most stressful interaction you’ve ever had in the past years of your life. You sighed in relief as you passed by more whispering flowers, occasionally turning over the juice box in your hand to shake away the remaining nervousness. At least you discovered that Chara had, in fact, passed through here. You were getting close, and with that a bit of hope rekindled within you.

Your relief was short-lived however as you stumbled into an area of inky blackness, dimly lit by softly glowing mushrooms here and there. The light coming from the fungi barely helped, and it was still a struggle to make out anything in the dark. You kept knocking into walls and stumbling over mounds of grass as you tried to move forward with difficulty.

“Shit!” you tripped over something and fell to your knees, the juice box rolling out of your hand. You patted around in the dark in search of it, mildly groaning. The tortoise probably wasn’t lying about how thirsty you looked, because you _were damn it_ and besides, the drink was free.

Your fingers finally tapped against something in front of you, and you grinned before reaching out to grasp it. You stilled as your hand wrapped around something way too solid to be a juice box made of cardboard. Slowly looking up, the strikingly familiar blue flame floating above you only made you squeeze tighter out of instinct.

“heya, pal. mind coming along with me on a _trip?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn it juice box why you gotta do dis


	10. It's Called Waterfall, After All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You listen to a story and go skydiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is like. the longest chapter yet. jfc. like i could not fit more words into this. then again it's possibly my favourite so far.
> 
> let's get it started//taps hands on table excitedly

“Sans! I’ve been looking for you everyw-”

_Ping!_

Before you could even finish, the ground had seemed to shimmer beneath you before dropping away completely, causing you to yell out as you started to free fall through a black abyss. Sans had his eyesockets closed with hands in his pockets, his scarf fluttering above his head while you flailed about helplessly like a dangling puppet beside him, screaming profanities.

Half a second later you found your mouth full of putrid swamp water and your clothes soaked through as you landed unceremoniously on solid ground yet again, although muddier, on your face. Coughing and spitting out leaves, you scrabbled to stand up and wiggled your hands at your wrists to dislodge the mud caked between your fingers.

“What the fuck was that!?” you shrieked, wiping at your face with the back of your hands, blinking rapidly.

“we need to talk,” Sans spoke up from a few feet in front of you, unperturbed.

You glared through sodden eyelashes at the permanently grinning skeleton as you brushed your hands on your shirt, though it was completely useless since, ya know, it was wet as shit. “Was the whole ‘dunking’ thing necessary? You could’ve helped me to my feet before… before whatever that was, you asshole! I nearly got crushed by my case!”

His eyesockets crinkled at the edges before he shrugged. “aw c’mon. i just wanted to mess with ya. besides, if i’d helped ya up, it’d take too long. you’re fine anyway.” He tilted his head as he made his way towards you, “by the way, skeletons don’t have asses, nor holes, just so you know.”

Your infuriation with him was too overwhelming that you only managed to growl, “Smartass,” in retaliation. The skeleton remained amused.

“again, no ass,” he stopped in front of you, looking up at you expectantly. “now as i was saying, we need to have a chat about current matters.”

“What the fuck do you wanna talk about? Couldn’t we have done that before you whisked me away to who-the-fuck knows where?” you spat.

“still bitter about that, huh? no need to _wallow_ in your feelings there, chum.”

You sighed, dragging a wet palm down your face. “God, Sans, just cut to the chase.”

“right... it’s about chara.”

Your head snapped up, eyebrows furrowing as you suddenly remembered. You backed up cautiously away from him, “…You said you wanted to kill them.”

His demeanor instantly changed from slightly relaxed and in control to mildly miffed and guilty. “what? no, i said i _have_ to kill them, i don’t _want_ to kill them. there’s a difference, i swear,” he started to sweat and dart his shrunken pupils around. “i promise there’s an explanation for this, it’s why i went back to get you.”

You frowned and crossed your arms, still suspicious. “You’re saying you have an _excuse_ to _murder_ a _child_?”

“no! …yes? look, just listen, ok. i need to kill chara to turn back time, because they have determination,” he paused for a bit before shaking his head. “n-no that's not right, uh. i said i have to kill chara because, because they have... powers? t-time powers, to be exact?" he reached out to gesture something, the look on his face seeming like he expected you to get it.

You resorted to blinking dumbly at the shorter skeleton. “Sans,” you reached for his shoulders, hunching until you’re eye-level to each other, “what the fuck. Are you talking about.”

He groans, curling his fists at his temple before mumbling. “i don’t know how to explain this, ok? everything’s new and unpredictable and you’re suddenly here and it’s just, hear me out,” he reached up for your elbows, clinging tightly, “ _please,_ just hear me out _.”_

You stilled at seeing the blue tears starting to collect at his sockets, his eyelights wavering and dilated as if to give that watery effect. It would’ve been… charming? In the puppy-dog sense? If Sans hadn’t looked so defeated.

It reminded you of Toriel.

Sucking in a breath, you nodded. “Okay… okay. I’ll hear what you have to say. I’ll trust you, for now.”

“that’s good enough. but we can’t stay here, we’re too out in the open. follow me,” he grabbed your hand and led you away through the water, unfazed as the mud stuck to his slippers creating a pair of muddy cruddy bundles of distress. You grimaced as you looked at them, but Sans ignored the look on your face.

He led you through a path to another dark area, where little bright beacons of light floated about providing just enough illumination for you to see. More of those blue flowers grew in abundance around you, swaying gently to and fro, whispering and passing their songs to one another. It was the most you’ve ever seen of them growing in one place, and the sight was breathtaking.  Sans steered away until you were quite hidden from the path, and immediately pulled you down to a crouch beside him on the soft damp soil.

“so we don’t have a lot of time. they might be here at any moment and there's still a few things you need to know, ok?” Sans began, sweat starting to collect at his forehead again. For a skeleton with no pores, the guy sweats profusely.

You reached for the end of his scarf and dabbed it away, despite his confusion, before nodding. “Okay.”

“uh, right. to start with, how familiar are you with RESETs?”

You frowned, though went along with it. “Resets? As in, restarting something like computers and watches and junk? Or starting over in video games?”

“yeah. but in this case, let’s say someone has an ability to RESET time, like time travelling, but only to the past. and they can do it given the right circumstances and situations. thoughts?” he prompted.

“Uh… that’d be… pretty neat? Wait, are you saying that metaphorically or literally?”

He huffed, his grin twitching slightly. You weren’t sure what to make of that. “it’s not so neat when you happen to experience it more than a few hundred times,” he muttered sardonically.

Oh. Literally, then.

“But… who’s this ‘someone’ you’re talking about?” you asked. He was quiet for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

“i’m not… really sure at this point. i…” he scratched his phalanges at his cheek in that habit of his, before looking into your eyes. “mind if i tell a story?”

You blinked. “Huh?”

“i just can’t think of any other way, ok? i’m… good at telling stories, or so pap says, so… you know...” he trails off a bit after mentioning his brother, loosely clutching the material around his neck in a fist. “i just figured… it’d be easier for me to explain and for you to understand so—“

“No.”

He looked up, eyesockets a bit wide. “wh-what?”

You placed your hand over his fist, the one clenched around his scarf, and pulled it away to hold it between yours. “No, I don’t mind if you tell a story,” you smiled softly, “go ahead.”

His sockets audibly clicked as he blinked once before nodding, cheekbones a bit blue. “A-alright.” He straightened and cleared his nonexistent skeleton throat. “So… once upon a time there’s this kid. A very determined kid, and their name was frisk. One day, they fell down a hole into a mountain.....”

By the time Sans finished his ‘story’ several minutes later, you had to lie down and stare at the ceiling for a solid five minutes, guitar case on your chest and a vacant look in your eyes. Resets and timelines? Evil flowers and broken Barriers? Monster Ambassadors and assassinations?

It was too unreal, yet the way Sans told it had been so well thought-out that it couldn’t have been. You wanted to believe it, yet at the same time not? Is this one of those ‘follow your heart’ moments? A ‘trust your gut and/or instincts’ test? You don’t know if you’re passing or failing at that point.

A tap at your forehead startled you enough to blink rapidly before peering upwards to look at Sans, who had a worried look on his face. He was upside-down. “you doin’ ok?”

Hm. How to answer that? “Not really.” Yeah, good enough.

He chuckled, bonebrows furrowing a bit. “heh, you don’t believe me, do ya?”

Sans jumped as you shot up suddenly, hugging your case as you twisted to look back at him. “No no no, it’s not that! It’s just… a lot to take in. I mean, where do I even start? Knowing how much this ‘Frisk’ had gone through to send the monsters above, only to start over when they failed? That’s a lot of dedication to find the best happy ending for everyone.”

He nodded, grinning fondly, “frisk’s got a lot of determination, trust me.”

“And that’s not all. After all this time, Chara has never once acted like this Frisk you talked about. Makes me wonder where they went, is all.”

“i’ve been wondering about that too. kid’s never been the same ever since you left the ruins.”

“You think a RESET can fix this and bring them back?”

“that’s what I’m hoping for.”

“And in order to do that…”

“…yeah. chara has to die.”

Your fists clenched, your eyes avoiding Sans’ gaze for a moment. “But… what if they don’t have to? What if we make Chara willingly RESET instead? Convince them to give Frisk back?”

Sans scoffed, rolling his eyes. “unlikely. that kid’s soul… i don’t think ‘convincing’ is really a way to get through their murderous psychopathic head. it’d be easier to kill them.”

You blanched instantly, turning around fully and standing to glare down at the skeleton, leaving your case on the ground. “How could you say that!? What the fuck is up with you monsters and Chara’s soul? So what if it’s dirty, or tainted, or supposedly ‘suffered’? Th-they’re still a goddamn human being, a person like you and me. They don’t need your ‘soul judging’ to drag them down deeper into the 'hell' they've created themselves, alright?”

The skeleton snarled as he stood up to poke at your chest. “ _newsflash_ , pal. if you think you can talk to chara peacefully, think again. their very being is giving off warning signals to every single monster down here to _stay. away._ the only reason the monster  _didn’t,_ is because they thought that a bit of ‘goodness’ _must_ reside in this poor kid’s soul, so they come out and go through a lot of shit to do nice things for this human, only to be _slaughtered_ and _turned to dust_ in their own _bed_ while they were _sleeping_.”

You realized halfway through his retort that Sans was talking about Papyrus, and your glare quickly softened. You reached out for his shoulder only to grab air as he vanished, sockets dark as he reappeared a few feet away. You sighed, dropping your arm to your side.

"Sans... how do we even know that it'll work in the first place? For all we know Frisk is the only one who can RESET time."

"this 'chara' has just as much determination as frisk does. if anyone can RESET time, it's them."

"But what if? What if we just kill them and nothing changes?"

His grin widened just a bit eerily. "then chara'll finally get the **r e t r i b u t i o n** they deserve."

You backed up at the demonic growl that layered over the skeleton's laidback tone. Still you stood your ground.

“Sans… Chara needs help.”

“and _i_ need my brother.”

You opened your mouth to argue when footsteps came around the corner just then, light and precise, silencing the two of you instantly. You stuck close to the walls, holding in your gasp as Chara came into view.

Your heart sank to your stomach as you took in how dusty they were, ballet shoes and a tutu on. You watched their retreating back before more footsteps passed by a few seconds after, though much more clumsy in comparison to the first. An armless dinosaur-like monster appeared, wearing a striped turtleneck and chasing after Chara while calling out for them.

You only managed to glance at Sans as his pupils lit up again. He looked in the direction where Chara went before turning to you, nodding once. You realized he was about to--

_Ping!_

\-- aaand he’s gone. You groaned, bending down to pick up your case and slung it onto your shoulder before following after the footsteps. You faltered momentarily as slow heavy stomping sounded, as if large metallic cheese graters were thumped against the ground behind you. You froze as you realized who it was.

Undyne, the almighty hero of the Underground. Sans had mentioned her appearance in this part of Waterfall; the final confrontation between her and Frisk is supposed to be up ahead before the human child heads into Hotland to continue their journey.

…And you’re standing right in her way.

“HEY YOU!!”

Fuck.

“Have you seen a human child in a tutu pass this way!?” the gruffly feminine voice yelled as the stomping came closer until it was right behind you.

"Sir? Ma’am? Uh, whatever you are,” Undyne tapped a finger against your case, and you realized that she had thought you were a monster because of the strange shape of your back.

Shit shit _shit_. What should you do? It was dark enough in here for you to disguise yourself, but should you turn around? Should you move forward? Say nothing? Your train of thought crashed as a heavy hand landed on your shoulder.

“Hey… I’ve never really seen you around he—”

You bolted, ignoring the cry of surprise behind you. It wasn’t long until Undyne recovered from her shock and chased after you, and _boy was she fucking fast._ She caught up to you in seconds, grabbing your case and pulling you back and around to face her. Her helmet was pressed right up against your nose, and you heard the sharp intake of air as she saw your very human face.

“ANOTHER ONE!?” she screamed, possibly rupturing your eardrums before pushing you back. You stumbled and fell to the ground, flinching as she came closer. “I have no idea how you’ve come this far without me finding you, but there’s no doubt you’re with the other one who’s been executing all those innocent monsters!”

She raised an arm with a closed fist, and you gulped as a transparent teal spear materialized within her grasp, humming with energy. She aimed to stab at your chest, and you only had a few seconds before the point came down between your ribs. Your eyes darted to the ground and you immediately grabbed a fistful of dirt before flinging it at Undyne’s helmet, crawling backwards as she cried out.

You dug your heels into the ground and used that as leverage to push yourself off the ground into a sprint, not checking to see what made the loud thud behind you. Probably the fish warrior chucking her helmet to the ground, but you weren’t exactly inclined to check. Her furious stomping chased after you soon after though, and you quickened the swinging of your legs even if it killed you, because honestly, you were about to be.

You left the dark area eventually coming upon a wooden rickety bridge built across a chasm (what is it with monsters and rickety wooden bridges!?) and skidded to a stop as you spotted Chara ahead of you, talking to the small monster from before. They noticed you over the shoulder of the monster and their eyes widened, mouth dropping open.

“Chara!” You couldn’t help the grin that stretched across your lips before you realized, oh right, you were running away from a furious knight woman who’s probably about to be right up your ass if you don’t move it. You turned and backed up onto the bridge as she appeared, spreading your arms protectively and returning the glare she sent you.

Undyne made a show of wiping off the remaining flecks of dirt between her narrowed yellow eyes before snarling and revealing her sharp serrated teeth. You were temporarily stunned at how _blue_ her skin was against the shocking red of her ponytail, in fact you’d even call her gorgeous if she wasn’t currently looking like she wanted to bite your head off.

She stepped forward as you backed up, and a few feet remained between the two of you until you reached the center where Chara and the other monster was. At that point you were chest-to-face (because she’s just _that_ fucking huge) with Undyne, and your knees were wobbling like crazy with how terrified you were.

“U-undyne?” a voice squeaked up from behind you.

You craned your head back to look at the monster, and Undyne probably just noticed their presence too, if the surprised look on her face out of the corner of your eye was any indication. Their lip was wobbling as they looked between you and Undyne, uncertainty clear on their face. “Y-you’re not going to hurt them, are you? Th-they didn’t do any—”

They didn’t finish as Chara pulled out a small knife from under their shirt and struck them down, splitting them in half. The monster stared up at you with wide eyes, their halves wobbling before they dissolved into dust. You couldn’t believe what you just witnessed until you see the grimace on Chara’s face; scowling with disgust as they stared down at the dusty blade.

“Chara!” “Kid!”

You only heard a hum of energy before you see the spear in Undyne’s hand, and you dove forward before even thinking twice. You pushed Chara back as the spear splintered through your case and went straight through your gut, your blood splattering onto Chara’s face as they sat dumbfounded in front of you. Undyne let out a gasp and stepped back, shocked at her accidental kill.

The pain was indescribable. The burning feeling as your back was punctured followed by the ripping of your stomach, you were surprised you were still conscious. After a second it felt like something blunt had settled in your gut before that illusion was cut off as another wave of pain washed over, this time white-hot and making you _scream_.

Your vision was fading, but it was enough to see a flash ahead at the other side of the bridge. You spot Sans with his eye-lights the smallest you’ve ever seen them. In your fuzzy half-alive half-dead state, you suddenly remembered.

The RESET.

You weren't sure if it was going to work but... you had to make Chara do it.

You spat out blood onto Chara’s sweater from where they sat in front of you, their face paling. They were still frozen as you reached out to wrap your disgusting bloodied arms around them, though flinched as you slowly brought your mouth close to their ear.

“…m’sorry, kid,” you whispered.

Before throwing your entire weight to the side and dragging Chara with you. Gravity took over and the two of you plummeted and gained speed. Chara kicked and punched as they screamed, though muffled through your shirt as you held on to them with whatever trace of life you had left in your body. The last thing you saw before you closed your eyes was Sans and Undyne peering down at your falling forms, their eyes wide.

You never felt yourself hit the bottom.


	11. Golden Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up... and???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg the drama in this chapter would do mtt proud  
> i dont even know anymore //gestures helplessly

Your chest felt heavy. It felt like a huge weight had settled on top of your spine, right above your ribcage. You coughed weakly as you tried to sit up, only to get pulled back as gravity grabbed ahold of whatever it was on your back and pulled you down with it with a soft thud. Blinking your eyes open, you craned your neck to see what it was strapped to your back.

Oh.

It was your guitar case.

No wonder it felt like it was crush…ing…. you...

You sat up, blinking around in stunned silence. The rocky walls, the patch of flowers, the light shining down overhead like a halo above your head; you took it all in with the disorienting feeling of déjà vu. It's almost like you've really been here before.

But when? You were certain this was the first time you’d ever found yourself waking up in a place like this and yet…?

Standing up, you brushed off your pants as you headed down the passage to your left. The question as to why you even knew that there was a passage there in the first place vanished as you laid eyes on a single flower in the center of the room.

Seeing that tastefully saccharine grin the flower greeted you with made you inhale sharply, blinking dazedly as all the memories and incidents that occurred finally came back to you in rapid flashes and waves.

Chara.

The RESET.

It had _worked._

“Howdy!” the flower chirped, having misunderstood your surprise. “I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower! You’re new to the Underground, aren’tcha?” it swayed a bit on its stem, tilting its head almost cutely. You recognized those lines almost instantly.

“Cut the shit, lil guy,” you snarked, protectively holding your arms over your chest. "Don’t even think of trying to trick me with that cutesy shit again," you blurted the last word accidentally, hoping it didn't notice.

Flowey immediately balked, eyes wide as it looked you over. “You… you remember?”

You mirrored its expression, mouth dropping open. “W-wait, you too? I-I thought Sans and Frisk were the only ones...?"

Flowey realized its slip-up a little too late, instead recovering with a shake of its head, “Whatever! This makes it easier for me, anyway!"

You yelped as the ground started to shake, cracking and crumbling into seperate chunks of earth. Several thin vines shot out from between the crevices and instantly lodged themselves into the walls and ceiling, creating a web of vines around the room with Flowey as the centerpiece. It gave a cackle as its face turned demonic and in that instant you felt a forceful tug on your chest.

You fought back, though it only lasted seconds before your soul popped out anyway, bobbing brightly. You paled as Flowey summoned several pellets around itself before chucking them at you by twos and threes. "HAVE SOME FRIENDLINESS PELLETS,” it cackled as you dove to the side.

“I thought you couldn’t kill me!" you yelled as you weaved your way through the vines, grabbing frantically at your soul to protect it only to let go as soon as you touched it. Yep, still uncomfortable. "Why are you doing this!?"

“Oh, don't worry, I’m not going to kill you!” it giggled, “Chara just told me to play with you for a bit; careful you don’t trip!” A vine loosened itself just then, draping over your ankle and causing you to fall forward. You caught yourself by your hands just in time to roll to the side as more pellets shot to the ground where you just were, leaving smoky marks in their wake.

“Ch-chara’s still here!? Where’s Frisk!?” you gaped, backing up against the walls as the vines shifted erratically around the room before settling. They seemed to have rearranged so Flowey could see you from its spot under the beam of light, and _boy_ did the flower look furious.

“ _Don't_  say that name!” it hissed, sending a fresh wave of pellets. “They don't exist anymore! There's only _Chara_ here, understand!?”

You barely dodged the attacks it sent, a few managing to hit you in the leg and side. You cringed at the acidic burn the pellets delivered, though it was still tolerable. “But don’t you see, Flowey!? It _isn’t_ Chara, that body belongs to Frisk!”

Flowey screamed, shaking its head violently. “NO! CHARA’S HERE! THEY WERE JUST HERE! SHUT UP!” The vines nearest to you retracted from the walls before aiming and shooting towards you, jabbing viciously at your feet. “YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING, IDIOT!”

You staggered and fell, grunting as you flopped onto your stomach. Before you could even react the vines had wrapped around your form and started dragging you across the ground carelessly towards Flowey. You gritted your teeth and wriggled helplessly trying to escape.

The flower held you up triumphantly over its head as you reached it, grinning wickedly. It gave a pleased hum before the vines started to twist and tighten, crushing you slowly. You cried out in dismay as your soul floated over the vines above where your chest would be; right out in the open. Flowey looked at it in wonder.

“Amazing how something so small could hold so much power,” it smiled up at you. Pellets appeared in a circle around your soul, spinning rapidly. “Too bad it’s so fragile,” it snickered before a pellet touched and slowly sank into your soul.

A scream ripped out of your throat, the feeling of being struck by lightning spreading from your chest to the rest of your body; a quick electric zap that felt like poison coursing through your veins. You sobbed and hung limply as it passed, leaving a dull throb within your core as Flowey laughed.

“Oh, this is such fun! I’ll heal you and hurt you over and _over and over._ Who’s gonna save you now!?” its features twisted into a familiar face, and you took in a sharp breath. “Dear old Toriel?”  _Twist. "_ Sweet naïve Papyrus?” _T_ _wist._ “Oh oh, I bet even that Smiley Trashbag would want to save you!”

“S-stop it…”

“Hm? What was that? I can’t hear you over your pathetic sniveling,” Flowey’s face returned, its tone mocking. The vines constricting you clenched tighter, making you squeak. “Say that again.”

You only managed to gasp as air failed to enter your compressed lungs. The flower snickered and loosened its control, sighing happily. “Good. This is just the way it’s supposed to be. Soon, Chara’ll pass the Barrier, and that’s when I get to finish you off.”

“Wh-why are you doing this? Why are you helping Chara kill off your own kind?” you gasped, wriggling feebly.

It scoffed. “My own kind? Ha! I’m not a monster, you idiot _._ I mean… I used to be but,” it deflated a bit before straightening, “that was a long time ago. Now I’m a soulless unwanted _thing,_ and the only one who understands me is Chara, just like back then.”

You were starting to get dizzy from lack of oxygen, but you forced yourself to blink. “B-back then?”

Flowey seemed hesitant to elaborate, before its smile curled into disgust. “Forget I said anything! The important thing is that Chara’s back, our plan’s in motion, and _you’re_ not getting in our way again.” You noticed the vines were starting to shake as Flowey continued quietly. “I’m not gonna be a crybaby this time... I’m _not_ gonna mess it up for us this time.”

“Flowey, this isn’t right,” you choked out slowly, fists clenching at your sides, “Frisk needs their body back. To break the Barrier and to set the monsters free."

“So they can RESET again when things go wrong?” it spat. “They’ve had their chances; now it’s Chara’s turn!”

“Chara shouldn’t even _be_ here, and you know that!”

The flower made a choked noise. “Th-that’s not true! Shut up!”

“But it is, isn’t it!?” you managed to pull an arm free as the vines started to loosen around you. “Chara was never meant to be in this timeline, or any other timeline! Not anymore, at least. _”_ You began tugging at your other arm desperately, though yelped as the vines tightened again. You managed to add, “Chara... th-they're not supposed to be here anymore.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying!” its voice wavered.

“I th-think I do,” you insisted. “ _Please_ listen to me, Flowey _._ Chara needs to be stopped. The monsters have been trapped down here for _centuries_ ; they _need_ Frisk to come back.”

“ **STOP. SAYING. FRISK.** It’s **CHARA** now, and that’s the way it’s going to be for the _next hundred RESETS if that’s what it takes!”_ Flowey shrieked.

You barely blinked before you were hurled across the room, landing on your side and rolling before hitting your back against the wall with a hard thud. You propped yourself up by your elbows to look at Flowey, its eyes brimming with tears and starting to tremble.

“What do you know about Chara? I’ve been there for them since the beginning. Do you think anyone else knows them better than me? NO! NEVER!” its voice raised, starting to crack, “I knew all their fears and all that they’ve been through. It’s why we’re doing this; because according to Chara, the Surface is filled with humans who’re are evil and horrible and only live by the meaning of ‘ _kill or **be** killed’_! _”_

“What does that have to do with monsters!?" you argued, rising to your knees. "They’re all innocent!” The ground rumbled as every vine in the room withdrew all at once into the ground before shooting up in one solid pillar in front of you, knocking you back and nearly missing your soul.

“EXACTLY!” Flowey screeched, “Monsters’ll never survive up there! Everytime the Barrier opens and the monsters are free, Frisk sends them back down here to start over because of selfish humans! Again and again! It's stupid! It's pointless! Why continue on hoping for something that’s not worth hoping for!? Because they’re IDIOTS!” The plant pillar slowly came apart into seperate vines and slithered back into the cracks as Flowey started to sob, hiccupping like a child. “I-idiots… just like we were.”

You kept quiet as the flower spoke up again, its voice filled with tremors. “A-and... Chara’s the only one I ever care about anymore. If Frisk comes back and they’re gone again then I’ll be… I-I’ll be…” the flower sobbed, its voice reduced to a mild squeak, "I don’t want to be alone again.” The flower bent over as it wept, nasally whimpers of 'Chara' mixed in with its sniffs. The mere sight of it made a lump form in your throat.

You bit back hisses of pain as you stood, making your way slowly over cracks and fissures towards Flowey, holding your soul close. You bit your lip before addressing it gently, “Flowey… Chara’s wrong. Not every human is bad. I mean, trust me there are a few definite assholes up there but, that doesn't mean the entire human race is like that.”

"..."

"And you're right. I _don't_ know what Chara has been through. But you know, they were probably just... scared. Scared for themselves and scared for you, too. M-maybe that's why they said the Surface was a bad place, because they really believed that it was."

Nothing.

You hesitated for a moment, but pressed on. "But it's time to let go. Whatever it is that had happened in the past, you have to forgive and forget. You and Chara both have to.”

Still nothing.

You sighed in defeat, shifting to step aside before Flowey finally lifted its head to look at you with watery eyes. “I don’t… I don’t think I’m ready to let them go.”

Something about the way Flowey said that made your gut turn. “I know,” you said, “you two were close, and it seemed like you were meant to be friends together forever, but one day something went wrong and suddenly they’re not there anymore.”

The flower stared up at you as you continued. “Days, weeks, _months_ pass and you’re still not over it. People keep saying that it’s time to move on, but even then, it hurts to do so, doesn’t it?” You sighed wistfully, “But that’s just it, lil guy. Not only are you hurting yourself by clinging on to someone that isn’t there anymore, you’re probably hurting _them_ , too.”

There was a flash of understanding in Flowey’s eyes as you smiled down at them. “So when they say that it’s time to move on… they’re not wrong.”

Flowey was quiet before speaking. “Chara… they didn’t climb this mountain because of a happy reason, you know,” it began.

Your lips twitched in a half-hearted smile. “I sorta figured that out for myself.”

It nodded slowly. “They... they thought it was a good idea to...  _y'know_... 'set everyone free' on their own terms and... and I foolishly agreed with them."

You huffed, though kept your tone mildly understanding. "By turning the entire Underground into dust? That's st--  _silly,"_ you caught yourself just in time, recollecting your words.  _"It's silly._ You can't decide that for everyone."

Flowey at least looked ashamed as it mumbled, "We just thought... it was better to end everyone's suffering..."

“Rather than letting them wish for something only to realize it’s not what they had hoped?” you finished.

It avoided your gaze, though gave another quick nod and a sniff. You chuckled a bit, crossing your arms.

“You’re… more of a kid than I thought, lil guy. But, you know that’s not the right thing to do, right? I mean," you gestured vaguely, "obviously."

It looked indignant. “But Chara said…”

“Chara just needs a bit of help,” you cut in. “Some good advice, a friendly hug, a reassuring pat on the back,” you paused before adding slowly, “and you still realize it’s not good for them to be here, right? They… they don’t belong here, Flowey. They should be… somewhere else. They need to go. You get what I’m saying?”

A long immeasurable silence before a quick barely-there nod.

“Then let me go after them. I... I want to help them. To set things right. Don’t you?”

Flowey blinked, frowning a bit in uncertainty. “How are _you_ going to help them?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted.

A scoff. “That’s not reassuring.”

“I know but, at least I’m willing to try. Don’t you at least wanna try? For Chara?”

The flower stared at you, eyes wide and unsure. It looked like it was about to scowl before it avoided your gaze, looking to the ground, “Yes.”

“Then let me go.”

Silence hung in the air as you waited for it to answer. You were starting to worry that it’ll shoot pellets again before it mumbled a “Fine.” Your slightly dim soul shot back into your chest in a single streak, and you breathed in relief as a familiar weight settled within you. Your soul was safe.

"Chara's on their way to the Barrier to get to the Surface," Flowey hinted quietly. "Stop them before they reach it." You might have heard a 'please' at the end of its sentence, but figured it was your imagination.

“Thank you. You won’t regret this,” you smiled reassuringly down at Flowey, clutching at your wounded side. It scoffed and twisted away, contorting its face to turn evil again; though it only turned out somewhat half-assed and lumpy.

“You remind me so much of Frisk it’s disgusting,” it mumbled weakly before popping into the soil and leaving you alone. You looked at its spot for a moment before taking off in the direction towards the Ruins, hoping and praying that you weren’t too late.

You came across dust, but you didn’t stop running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i dunno if this is good or bad or even decent, ive rewritten it so many times i cant even tell ;;" constructive crit. would be great!  
> But uh, hope it was okay in terms of spiritual enlightenment? Yeah


	12. Wayback When

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn dreambot, back at it again with the bad fanfiction!
> 
> hello yalls i missed ye <3
> 
> updates will be once a month on the 15th, at least until i'm free from school bc of time restraint. imma try my best for you guys! //commences armless ska dancing

Toriel’s door was open.

Granted it was a slight crack, barely swinging from an invisible breeze, but seeing the door so precariously left open like that caused a shiver to travel up and down your spine. You steeled your nerves just in case, but somehow you felt like you weren’t going to like what was beyond that wooden structure whether you were prepared or not.

Reaching out a shaky hand, you pushed the door open slowly, wincing as it creaked. You stuck your head in, checking the left and right hallways before stepping inside, only to freeze as your sneaker landed on something soft. It seemed as if your heartbeat was slowing as you cautiously tilted your head downwards. For a second, you were sure your heart had stopped.

You jumped back with a choked gasp, your sneaker dragging some of the dust stuck to it with you. A breeze seemed to blow then, possibly from the basement, causing the sickening illusion that the pile of ash in front of you was reaching out, calling for you. You couldn’t help it; you sank to your knees and sobbed into your palms.

She was gone.

The purple robe atop the pile only confirmed your suspicions. You were too late. You could only clench your eyes tighter as tears threatened to spill, willing the image of the sweet motherly goat monster being struck down away from your mind. She had hardly stepped into her house before Chara… before they…

Did Chara really think this was going to fix things? Did they really think there was no other way? Your resolve to help the monsters by helping Chara was starting to crumble. What if the child’s hatred for humanity clouds their ability to see things differently?

And not to mention, _how_ were you going to help them? You were still a random stranger, after all. Hell, you probably annoyed them plenty with your overprotectiveness and it was clear enough that they see you as an obstacle rather than a guardian. Did you really have a chance of fixing this like you had promised Flowey?

You felt as if you’ve been staring at the ground for ages now, reevaluating your mission. Did you really have a chance? A look up only served to add the weight that was already in your chest, you turned away with a grimace from what was left of Toriel’s remains.

 _You_ had let that happen. The lives of the entire monster race was on your hands. Whether you thought it was your own decision or not hardly mattered, this was your problem as well as theirs. You had promised Toriel and you had promised Flowey, and in some way, to Sans as well. The heavy feeling in your chest only managed to grow, to the point where a lump formed in your throat and you found yourself struggling to breath.

You… didn’t feel very determined anymore.

…

_No._

You took another peek at the doorway and willed yourself to keep your gaze on Toriel. To look at the consequences if you didn’t do anything about this. She was one of the many lives that were going to be sacrificed to Chara’s twisted sense of chivalry if you gave up now. The tattered robe reminded you of a red scarf, and that was the final push you needed to stand up and to wipe your face with your sleeves.

You were still hiccupping as you respectfully stepped past Toriel’s dust, but you managed to keep your sobs at bay.

You had wasted enough time groveling. There wasn’t a second left to spare. A quick glance down the hallways made you decide the house wasn’t worth exploring; Chara had already left.

Your hand grabbed the railing as you started to head downstairs, though you paused mid-step and gave one last glance towards Toriel.

“I’ll... I'll see you soon,” you nod, your steps steady as you disappeared underground.

_ _ _

Your hands were firm as they pushed against the doors leading to the bigger part of the Underground. You had learned your lesson from your last visit here, and applied just the amount of force needed to open the doors instead of attempting a faceplant into the snow.

The feeling of wonder never left you as you stepped out, though. The whiteness of the snow calmed you somewhat as snowflakes landed in your hair and on your nose. You allowed yourself to smile briefly before walking down the familiar path, the branch from before still in its place in the distance, though now it seemed to have snapped in several places instead of just in half.

Footsteps were visible in the snow; the distance between each a bit too far for a kid walking at a normal pace.

Chara was in a hurry.

You were about to quicken your own pace when a sudden _ping!_ sounded to your right. Before you could even register what was happening you found yourself pulled to the side and crushed.

…Into a pair of arms?

“fucking _finally,_ ” a familiar voice wheezed onto your neck. “where were you i was so worriedithoughtyouwerenevercomingback-,” you squeaked as Sans squeezed tighter, his speech turning into a mumbling indecipherable mess.

“S-sah!” you tried to gasp, though the skeleton had already yelped and pulled back, holding his hands up. You sucked in a deep breath; between Sans and your guitar case, you were pretty much power-squished into submission just now.

Sans' face was a brilliant blue and his sweating was particularly in copious amounts right now. His eyelights darted about, avoiding you as he started to step back cautiously.

“i-i’m so sorry, that was sudden wasn’t it, it’s just y-you sorta remind me of somebody i know and... and...” he trailed off, looking like he was ready to cry. “a-a-anyway. y-you're a human, right? that's... hilarious, heh. i’m s-sans by the way sans the skele—guh!”

He stiffened, panicked rambling cut off in an instant as you pulled him close. You could feel the strain of his grin against your cheek. You smiled and rubbed his back, “It’s okay, Sans. I remember.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before he moaned with relief, hands clinging to your jacket tightly, form trembling. “oh my god... _oh my god…_ you have no idea how happy i am right now,” he whimpered.

You gave a bitter chuckle and began to pull back, Sans following you on his tiptoes before letting his arms flop to his sides awkwardly. The blueness on his face had receded significantly, though his eyelights were dilated and beaming at you. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was happy to see you. “I missed you, too,” you grinned before getting serious, “but… this isn’t the time to celebrate, Sans. Have you seen Chara?”

His eyelights flickered out like a switch and his grin turned down at the edges. “ch-chara’s still here?”

You balked. “Wait, you didn’t know!? I thought you greeted Frisk for every RESET! Where were you!?”

Sans looked sheepish. “i-i was…” he shook his head and frowned, “it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter!?" you fumed. "Sans, they could be anywhere right now! What were you thinking!?"

Sans scoffed. "you’re one to talk! what the hell were _you_ thinking, jumping off like that!?”

You inhaled sharply. “A-are you talking about…?”

“yes, i’m talking about the previous RESET,” Sans' glare intensified. “what if you never came back? the plan was to take out chara, not to kill yourself! you could’ve disappeared completely out of existence! what the fuck was i supposed to do then!?”

“It’s not like I had a choice! I was dying anyway!” you protested.

“and you know why that happened?" he growled, tone almost smug. "because you jumped in to save them! because you couldn’t let chara die! it would’ve been a clean hit if you’d just let undyne’s fucking spear take care of it!”

“You know that’s just fucking wrong, Sans! They’re a kid!”

“you keep _saying_ that!" his voice raised, arms splayed out in irritation. "who cares if it’s a kid? they’re a psychotic, murdering little brat who’s dead intent on killing every monster down here, and no that pun wasn’t thrown in there just for fun.”

“Look, can you fucking imagine what they’ve been through?" your tone dropped for a second before you shouted back. "You don’t just have the idea of murder stuck in your head since you’re born, Sans! Something went wrong and now Chara’s just… _lost_ , okay!?”

Your last word echoed through the trees with how loud you were shouting. The two of you breathed heavily, staring each other down. What happened to the warm reunion that happened just now?

You took a deep breath and continued more quietly. “We’re wasting time. If you’re not on my side then I’ll just do this myself.”

Sans looked pained for an instant as you turned away and walked down the path, one foot in front of the other. He probably called out for you, but you didn't listen. You jolted backwards as two massive bones shot out of the ground, crisscrossing in front of your chest. You refused to look back.

“Let me go, Sans.”

“no.”

“Sans.”

“i’m not letting you go after them.”

“Someone needs to.”

“it doesn’t have to be you.”

“Think about Papyrus.”

“…”

Seconds passed before the summoned bones trembled and sank into the ground. You were about to keep walking when you feel your case being tugged back gently.

“don’t make me choose between you and my brother,” Sans' voice was suddenly much closer than before. “please.”

"I’m not making you," you muttered, and within a blink Sans was in front of you. You kept your gaze steady. "Every second we’re here is another second closer Chara’s getting to Papyrus. And between here and there are several other monsters getting killed. Let me go.”

“we’ll teleport. get pap and hide somewhere until the coast is clear," he reaches for your shoulders, grasping tightly.

“And when is that? When Undyne kills Chara causing another RESET? Or do you wanna wait until the entire Underground’s empty and Chara’s made it to the surface? Will we be safe then, Sans?”

Silence.

You sighed and started to say something, only to have your breath taken away as the world turned to black and you found yourself falling.

_The motherfucker did it again._

“Sans, I’m going to kill you!” you screamed, holding on the skeleton in front of you for dear life. You could’ve sworn you heard him chuckling, albeit humorlessly.

Your feet found steady ground again, and you leaped away from Sans to give him the biggest glare your feelings could muster. Behind Sans you could see the town of Snowdin, the sight of the town in broad daylight with its bright colours distracting you for a second. You shook your head and refocused on Sans, ready to give him a piece of your mind but stopped as you registered that he wasn’t looking so good.

You followed his gaze behind you, and your heart stopped for the second time that day.

A nearly invisible mound of white sat in front of the entrance to Waterfall, the red scarf around it a stark contrast to its surroundings; exactly like blood on snow. But the implication of the pile of dust in front of you was nothing compared to what it was arranged into: Papyrus’ scarf curled around its owner’s dust in a crescent shape, with two sticks placed vertically above the scarf side by side on the snow.

... It was a fucking smiley face.

You plastered your palm to your mouth to stop any noises from coming out as Sans walked up beside you. Slowly, he picked up the scarf and brushed it off before twirling it around his neck.

“Sans... I-I—" 

“so…” the skeleton interrupts, his voice eerily quiet. He’s not looking at you, but a chill still ran down your spine as he spoke.

“still  think even the worst person can change...?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think talking is the solution for this.


	13. Judgement Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make up your mind about some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are so frikin sweet with your comments im cryin. i might not reply to messages during this time (partly because idk what to say?? to such niceness??? im blushing from this treatment frikin sweethearts all of u) but just know i read them everyday to give myself a confident boost <3 i'll see y'all next month!

“you didn’t answer me.”

You blinked hard and shifted your attention from what was left of Papyrus to his brother. “Huh?”

The skeleton rolled his shoulders before facing you fully, his eyelights dimmer than you’ve ever seen them. “i asked if you still think even the worst person can change. because from what i’m seeing right now… buddy… _that person_ seems to be having a good time.”

Was he talking about Chara? He briefly meets your gaze for a second before darting his eyelights elsewhere, brows furrowed. Yeah, he was definitely talking about Chara.

Biting your lip and wringing your hands, you looked back at the pile of dust in front of you. You weren’t sure how to answer. For a kid who was supposedly hesitant in killing monsters, Chara was pretty gung-ho about it, judging from the ‘work of art’ they just did. You were surprised Sans barely reacted to it; somehow that just made it worse. 

Your stomach flipped sideways as you thought of Papyrus in the previous timeline. You've never really had the chance to get to know him better, but the five minutes you were able to talk to him were possibly the best thing you've ever experienced. He never deserved this.

You would cry, but honestly the grief of losing a friend you’ve never even had in this new timeline… you just felt hopeless. Hollow, like you’ve been scraped inside and out. The skeleton never even knew you existed and here you were, foolishly mourning for him. Something about that concept just gave you an extremely unsettling feeling at the pit of your stomach.

You shut your eyes. Maybe… maybe Flowey was wrong. Maybe the flower’s point of view was just as distorted as Chara’s. Two different sides of a coin. One was trying to be justified while the other wasn’t trying at all.

And your mistake was that you just happened to stick to the wrong side all this time.

“i need an answer, pal,” Sans’ voice brought you back to the present. He was looking at you intently, eyelights never leaving your face. You blinked, licking your lips before responding in a daze.

“An… an answer?”

He sighed, tucking his hands into his hoodie and closing his eyesockets. “don’t get me wrong, i don’t feel like sparing the kid any time soon. if it were up to me, i’d make them pay for their sins a hundred times over for this but…” he opened his eyes and his grin twitched. “i won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

“Oh…” you tucked your arms close to your chest, breathing in deeply. He was asking whether or not you still wanted to convince Chara to stop this murdering spree the pacifist way. By talking to them and making them realize that what they’re doing is wrong. Because a kid couldn’t possibly commit themselves to such a crime willingly on their own… right?

…

You had to be honest.

It was a stupid fucking idea.

You bowed your head, “No... I... I don’t think even the worst person can change. No matter what.”

The skeleton didn’t say anything, though he did give a hum and shifted his weight forward on his toes before exhaling. “ok.”

You two were quiet, really just staring at the ground at the moment, letting snowflakes collect on your clothes.

“welp,” Sans spoke up, “time to get to work.” He gave one last glance at his brother's remains before walking towards Snowdin, faintly whistling. You stared after him, looking back and forth between the cave entrance and the skeleton before catching up.

“Wh-where are you going?” you huffed, keeping pace with him as you reached his side after a quick jog. The skeleton’s expression was strangely peaceful as he stared straight ahead.

“it’s like you said. you can’t change a person no matter what.”

“O…kay? And…?”

“so we don’t.”

You stopped for a second to process his statement before shaking your head. “Uh… and that has something to do with Chara because...?"

He turned to you and winked. “let's just try it my way. we make 'em give up instead."

Sans looked at you expectantly as the two of you walked, eventually entering the town. The entire place was quiet, but that wasn’t surprising. Your eyes lit up as it clicked, and he seemed mildly pleased. “You mean you’re gonna…?”

"force a RESET," he nodded, "force a hundred RESETs if that’s what it takes. make them play this game over and over until they… what’s that term on the surface? when you get angry at video games?”

“Ragequit?” you supplied. He shrugged.

“yeah, that."

It wasn't a great plan per se, but it was something; you were sure Sans was willing to try anything at this point. Still... "What about Undyne? Shouldn't we help her? To... y'know, eliminate the target?" you reminded, rubbing your chilly palms together. 

He laughed, somewhat sincerely, "it's cute how you're trying to avoid the word 'kill' but nah. i have complete faith in my boss. consider myself a... 'back-up plan' in case things don't go so well." His tone was joking but his eyelights were  deliberately avoiding your gaze.

You squinted. "You don't sound very confident."

"well..." he shrugged and said nothing more.

The two of you continued in companionable silence, though regretfully you had to speak again. “So... you’re sure this'll bring Frisk back?" you asked reluctantly.

Sans’ grin faltered. “no… _tibia_ -nest, i’m not sure of anything anymore. heh, i just want my bro alive again.”

You nodded understandingly; the two brothers seemed inseperable from what you've seen, even if they were complete opposites. Sans always had that soft look on his face whenever his brother was mentioned, clearly Papyrus meant a lot to him. He probably wouldn’t mind living the same day on repeat if Papyrus was there to wake him up every morning.

As for you? Well, knowing you’ll be ending up in the Ruins time and time again just to find Toriel’s dust at her doorstep wasn’t appealing. In fact, with how fast Chara managed to exit the Ruins before you even reached her house, you figured you wouldn’t even wake up in time for each RESET. Sans would spot a dusty Chara leaving the Ruins and end their life on the spot, causing another RESET.

So does that mean you’ll be in a permanent passed out state forever? You weren’t sure if your take on the time gap between the second you wake up and the moment Chara exits the Ruins was accurate, but you were confident it was a close enough guess.

…

Well, that’s fucked up ain’t it?

A buzzing noise made you look up, and you realized you were passing by that Grillby’s place again. The 'y' on the neon sign was flickering, and you abruptly stopped walking as you realized something. “Uh, Sans?” you called out to your companion, who was a few steps ahead.

He hummed and looked over his shoulder. “yeah, pal?”

“Why are we headed towards the forest when Waterfall’s the other way?”

His eyelights flickered before his sockets crinkled at the edges. “geez, took ya long enough,” he chuckled, a drop of sweat running down his skull.

Your mouth dropped open, face burning despite the cold. He was _pranking_ you at a time like this!? “Sans, you numbskull! Now’s not the time! I can’t fucking believe—”

“—you actually wasted time just to pull a fast one on me!”

He was wearing that smug grin again, sockets lidded in a lazy gaze. Your attention shifted from the accusing finger you pointed at Sans to the floor, to the ceiling, to the walls that appeared out of nowhere.

Eyes widening, you drank in the sight of gold; everything seemed to be polished to perfection. You could practically see your reflection from all angles. Majestic pillars stood in rows to the right and left of you, detailed carvings etched into them where they were connected to the ceiling several feet above. The tiled floor bounced the light pouring in from the stained glass windows to the walls on the other side, splashing an abundance of colours along the hall and giving the entire corridor a perfect symmetrical look. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

You were speechless for the second time within the span of thirty seconds, and the look on your face was probably priceless as Sans burst out laughing, cheekbones tinged with blue. “you were... heh heh, you were saying?”

You snapped your mouth shut. “You need to stop that. Seriously.”

_ _ _

Waiting in that Judgement Hall, as Sans called it, was torture.

Sans was either being efficient or lazy when it came to waiting for Chara to arrive; you wanted to say both. "frisk would pass here every time to get to the king’s place. it’s where the barrier’s at. if chara’s trying to make it to the surface, they’ll be here soon enough,” he said.

Well, seemed pretty solid. But you couldn’t help the way your skin crawled at the thought of monsters being massacred at every minute that passed, and all you were doing was swap tasteless jokes with Sans as you propped yourselves up against a pillar. You had your guitar case on your lap, but honestly you weren't in the mood for tunes when Sans was sending a barrage of horrible jokes your way.

It wasn’t until the sixtieth bone pun along with two skeleton innuendos did you finally crack. "I can’t do this anymore,” you groaned, pushing your case to the side. 

The skeleton grinned wider and settled back against the pillar more comfortably, arms tucked behind his skull. “heh, you actually lasted a while. pap would've given up by the third pun. congrats.”

“The jokes were awful, but no. How much longer do we have to wait?” you quipped, uncrossing your legs and re-crossing them the other way.

“not much longer... hey, knock knock.”

“God Sans, not now.”

“it’s real important,” he chuckled, “c’mon answer the door. knock knock.”

“Ugh, who’s there?”

“chara.”

Footsteps echoed down the hall just then and your head snapped up. Your breath got stuck in your throat as your eyes landed on the small form at the end of the hallway.

Chara was covered head to toe in dust, a thick layer of it. In their right hand an old dagger was gripped tightly while the other was fondling a heart-shaped locket. They tucked the necklace into their shirt as they noticed you, their expression stoic. Your eyes narrowed; were their pockets full of… sandwiches?

You flinched as a hand landed on your shoulder, pulling you back. You didn’t even realize you had stood up.

"undyne didn't make it. guess it's up to lil old me," Sans' voice rumbled quietly. He gave you a look and tilted his head to the side. “i don’t want you getting caught in the cross-fire. stand back.”

“But I—”

“Stand. Back.”

A protest was on your lips, but one look into his eyelights and you unwillingly nodded. You could sense Chara’s eyes on you as you stepped back and hid behind the shadow of a pillar, leaving your case behind next to Sans. You'd get it back in the next RESET anyway.

The skeleton made sure you were at a safe distance before addressing the child, hands tucked into his pockets and a faux grin on his face, “heya.”

Chara’s footsteps came closer.

“i see you’ve been busy.”

Step.

“in fact, you’re looking kinda tired there, pal.”

Step.

“i mean, killing must be pretty exhausting, amiright?”

Step.

“i wouldn’t know, never really had an effort for anything other than jokes and hotdogs. heh.”

Step.

Chara was in front of him now. Their eyes landed on Sans' scarf for a second, expression unreadable before they moved their leg back into a stance. You held your breath as their soul popped out, signaling the beginning of a fight. The dark maroon soul glowed dimly as it bobbed; it was nothing compared to the brightness of your own soul.

You… somehow felt guilty as you looked at it, and judging from the way Sans flinched, he was probably shocked by the state of it, too.

He recovered quickly though, resuming his speech, “as a matter of fact, kiddo…”

He never finished, Chara already making the first move with a quick precise stab centered between his ribs. The skeleton ducked to the side, blue and yellow flames igniting within his left socket. His grin stretched at Chara’s shocked expression. “…i think it’s way past your 'bed' time.”

A blast of charge travelled through the air as Sans lifted a palm towards the ceiling, a giant canine-looking skull appearing above it. The kid barely reacted before Sans pulled his fingers into a fist. The skull unhinged its jaws in Chara’s direction, a ball of energy collecting briefly at its base before blasting.

Your ears caught the beginning of a pained scream before Chara’s physical body faded into non-existence, their soul shaking violently before breaking into several pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay determined.


	14. Maybe Talking Is The Solution For This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You witness a fight(s) and spill some beans. Very somewhat obvious beans but beans nevertheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prepare for a badly foreshadowed surprise.

The first thing you felt was the coldness on your cheek. Opening your eyes, you blinked rapidly as your eyes took in the sight of bright gold. As if the glare wasn't enough, the weight on your chest seemed heavier than you remembered.

You pushed out your arms, only to yelp as your feet stumbled backwards.

...Backwards?

Blinking again, you squinted against the solid marble in front of you, your palms flat against its surface, wondering where the flowers went.

Wait.

M-marble?

"...no..." Ahead of you, a voice spoke in a breathless whisper, but the despair in its voice rang clear and loud.

You blinked again, looking up to see a child grinning in satisfaction in front of a scarfed skeleton.

"no! what did you _do_!?" the voice raised.

Snapping out of your daze, your nails scratched against the marble as you clenched your fists, your heart in your throat as you realized what just happened.

Or to be more precise, what _didn't_ happen.

"how are you still here!?" Sans' voice cracked as he started to heave, bursts of magic sparking from his fingertips. The blue flame in his eyesocket burned brighter than ever, nearly licking half his skull as his teeth grew sharp.

Chara lifted a hand, their forefinger touching their thumb. They slowly dragged the touching point across their lips, smiling creepily. ‘ _It's a secret.’_

A strangled yell came from Sans as he stepped forward, one hand clawing the air in Chara's direction. The child actually looked panicked for a moment as their soul jumped out surrounded in a blue aura. They made a noise as their body lifted and, as Sans flicked his palm upwards, yelps of pain crept past their lips as their body slammed solidly into the ceiling.

"bring!"

_Slam._

"back!"

_Slam._

"my!"

_Slam._

"brother!"

Sans dangled the bloodied Chara in the air by his magic for a moment before slowly clenching his fist, the sickening sound of bones crunching ringing in your ears. You peeled your eyes away from the sight of the mangled child, willing yourself to breathe as Sans continued, "or you'll be having a real bad time, kid.”

Chara must've done something he didn't like, as the next thing you knew there was a final slam and the sound of cracking followed. You're back to your spot behind the pillar, five feet from where you had stepped out.

"no... this isn't happening," Sans moaned as a giggle came from the child in front of him.

Before you could even react several of those giant skulls from before had appeared in an arc behind Sans, jaws unhinged and aiming. His eyelights went out, "atone for your sins, dirty brother killer." The humming of Sans' magic rang through the air before your vision filled with white.

_Crack._

...You've finally realized why your chest felt so heavy.

_Crack._

It was filled with...

_Crack._

...Well, you didn't really feel like gracing it with a description.

A pitiful wail came from Chara as bones protruded from the ground, piercing their body and encasing them within a cage of cartilage. A hint of a quivering smile was on their face before they spat out blood down their collar, their fingers shakily holding their knife. Sans was fuming.

"SPARE you!? after what you've done to my BROTHER!?" he screamed, forcing the bones to impale deeper.

You must've missed something Chara said when you were distracted by your own thoughts, but it had clearly upset Sans. Nevertheless watching the small body twitch lifelessly from his magic made your chest tighten.

"S-sans! Stop it!" you blurted, stepping out from behind the pillar. The skeleton only managed to look at you for a second before the kid leaped forward, swinging their knife after a fresh restart. Sans barely dodged before pushing away Chara with his magic, sending the child skittering halfway across the hall.

"stop? you want me to _stop_!?" he gestured at Chara in the distance as if they were something disgusting, "give me one good reason why the hell i should stop!"

He looked like he was actually waiting for you to answer but your words just couldn't leave your mouth. Rapid footsteps approached Sans and he was occupied with Chara once again.

The kid quickly learned to stick close to Sans, stepping forward as he stepped back to prevent him from using his magic. They didn't think he'd teleport behind them to drill bones into their back.

_Crack._

You're behind the pillar again. Was this how you were going to spend the rest of eternity? Behind this structure as a witness to this deadly dance of theirs? Were they ever going to stop?

_Crack._

You didn't think so.

Chara was chasing Sans now, zig-zagging to avoid bones coming from in front of them as they kept swinging at the teleporting skeleton. He was playing with them now, you could tell; appearing just out of reach and disappearing afterwards, only to send a bone shooting towards their torso.

Chara's shoe squeaked against the tiles as they accidentally misstepped, crying out as a bone stuck to their shoulder. Red quickly spread down their sweater. From where you stood, you could hear a faint whimper of pain coming from them.

"how does the taste of KARMA feel? bet it feels pretty _killer_ ," Sans reappeared a few feet away, expression darkly amused.

The child grunted and shook their head, gritting their teeth as they ran at Sans. Screaming as another blast of energy shot out from above them.

_Crack._

For a second, you could've sworn you saw tears running down Chara's cheeks. The hall reverted back to its clean state, blood and scorch marks non-existent. The child stood in front of the skeleton again, face contorted into frustration with their eyes wide and nostrils flaring.

"that expression you're wearing... you're not having the best of times, are you?" Sans' grin twitched.

Chara swung. Missed. Gasped as bones fell from above and speared into the ground, forming a circle and trapping them. Their crimson eyes widened in fear as Sans appeared in front of them, palm outstretched and blaster skull aiming above him.

"good."

_Crack._

You can't do this.

_Crack._

Watching by the sidelines was torture.

_Crack._

You had to do _something._

_Crack._

Clenching your fists, you stepped out from behind the pillar, "Sans, this isn't going to work! Just... just  _stop!"_

Your voice was drowned out as another blast of white barely missed Chara. Sans flitted his eyelights towards you for a milisecond before sending a wave of bones down the hall, every one of them expertly dodged except for the last as it hit dead center in the kid's face.

Chara was thrown onto their back with a loud thwap, groaning as they curled in on themself and clenched their nose. Sans lifted a hand and snapped his fingers, summoning a pair of bones from the ground that locked themselves over Chara's torso and trapping them momentarily. The skeleton took the brief time to cock his head at you.

"i'm not backing down until they do," he grunted, tone firm. He turned his attention back to Chara as they wriggled out of the trap, blood dribbling out of one nostril and trailing down their mouth. Sans straightened his posture and shrugged his hands back into his pockets, glaring at Chara as they spat out a tooth. The broken piece of bone tinkled against the floor before rolling to a stop a few tiles away.

You shrank back a bit and glanced between the two of them before reaching out for his shoulder, voice pleading.

"You... y-you can't go on forever," your eyes were on Chara as they slowly walked closer, lips pulled back in a snarl; you could see Sans prepare another attack as they approached. "One of you needs to give up at some point."

The skeleton laughed. "exactly," he shrugged as bones randomly popped out of the ground, forcing Chara to maneuver around them, "thing is, it's not gonna be me." He suddenly huffed and started to push you back with a hand on your stomach, a drop of sweat running down the side of his skull. "hey, you remember when i said i don't want you getting caught in the cross-fire?" He chuckled, eyelights shifty, "yeah, step back a bit, buddy."

You jumped as Chara broke into a sprint, their arm pulled back for a swing as they reached you by a few feet. Sans stiffened and quickly flailed an arm in panic, the other arm raised protectively in front of you. A small bone shot out of the ground by Chara's feet and clocked them in the jaw, red droplets spraying out of their mouth as the child stumbled back before crumpling to their knees, whimpering. Some of their blood had gotten on your sneakers.

You winced.

"okay, i'm not messing around," Sans spoke up, turning to you, "you need to step away."

You warily watched Chara as they tried to stand back up, knees wobbling and breathing heavily. Their grip on their knife was considerably loose. You shook your head. "No... I-I can't let you keep doing this."

Sans was flicking his eyes back and forth between you and Chara, sweating profusely. "very noble of ya, but i'm serious. get away."

The kid was looking at you now, wheezing through bloody chipped teeth. Their eyes were shooting daggers at you but there was still a hint of pain there. Your soul twisted as you gritted your teeth. "I can't."

"oh my g... why won't you just _fucking_ BACK OFF!?" Sans shouted, gripping his skull in frustration. You pulled back your lips and motioned towards Chara, noticing the way the kid's eyes widened.

"You keep killing them over and over like this, you'll be just as bad as they are, Sans! Look, Chara's never going to win at this rate, can't you see that!?"

"wha-- tell that to _them!_  i'll stop when they stop! but do you see them slowing down!? no!" The skeleton clawed at the air near your cheeks, fingers crooked, as if physically restraining himself from grabbing your head. "now will you please just stay away so you won't get hurt!?"

You opened your mouth to retaliate only to gasp as something collided into your side, throwing you back away from Sans and slamming you against the wall. You hastily clawed at whatever it was holding you down, your fingers slipping on the smooth surface as your sneakers squeaked pathetically against the tiles, trying to keep your balance.

The skeleton stared at you regretfully before turning back to Chara, who had already recovered after taking a violent bite out of a sandwich. You cried out as you were pinned between the snout of the giant skull and the wall, witnessing them fight all over again, even though half your view was obscured over the spike on top of the skull's head. You scrambled with all you've got.

"Sans! Let me go!"

The skeleton waved an arm, tossing Chara across the hall. You could hear the kid regain their footing before running back towards him.

"I'm serious! Get me out of here!"

Sans ducked as Chara reached him, teleporting out of sight. The kid glanced at you for a second before chasing him somewhere to the left.

"Are you not listening to me!?"

There was a distant scuffle before a grunt followed. Bones were shot into the wall in front of you, disappearing a few seconds after.

"SANS!"

More bones. Two blasts, one after the other. You think you heard Chara cry out.

...Nope, he wasn't listening.

You writhed and twisted against the jaws holding you hostage, even going so far as to clawing at the weapon's eyesockets, but it remained unfazed. Was it even able to feel that? Was it even sentient in the first place? 

You shook your head out of your thoughts and tried to push the bulking thing away from you instead. It moved just a bit, nearly at an arm's length before it immediately drifted forward again, stuck fast to your torso. You slammed your fists onto it with a growl, your palms starting to get sweaty from all this struggling.

There was a yell somewhere down the corridor followed by the loud blast of Sans' skull attack, but time didn't turn back. Chara was getting better at surviving against Sans it seemed. That was worrisome.

Giving up in pushing it away with brute force, you took a moment to calm down before running your fingers over the skull, trying to figure out how to budge yourself out of this. You searched for someplace to get a solid grip, and found a sharp set of teeth by its lower jaw. You wrapped your fists around them tightly, the fangs providing a comfortable grip, funnily enough.

You took a deep breath before wringing the skull to the side with all your strength, your hands practically shaking as you tried to squirm yourself past its jaw, sidestepping bit by bit. You were just about a few seconds away from prying yourself to freedom before the skull made a guttural noise and shifted their snout, a squeak coming out of you as it pressed against your stomach and you found yourself stuck once again.

Okay... this thing _was_ sentient, then?

You were about to give an irritated scream before another blast rang out, echoing against the walls.

_Crack._

You blinked, finding yourself unpinned and back behind the pillar. The thought settled in your head within a second and before you knew it, you had charged out, using all your leg power to thrust yourself forward. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Sans frantically pull back his arm to divert the bones headed your way.

You crashed into Chara, sending the two of you tumbling across the floor. You managed to plant your knees by their hips as you stopped, the kid struggling as you held their shoulders down. They must've dropped their knife in the bustle of things, as the only thing they had in order to fight you off was a pair of small fists.

You weren't sure what you were trying to do, leaping out like that, but now that you had the kid pinned down, you figured you had to try _something._

But damn, could the kid punch.

You've hardly said a syllable before Chara kneed you in the gut, knocking the wind out of you. Instead of pulling back though, you flopped over as you tried to catch your breath.

"Suh-stop it! Stop it, Chara!" you stiffened your limbs as they continued to writhe, noises of protest coming from them. They knocked their forehead into your chin and you were sure you almost bit your tongue off. "For fuck's sAKE STOP MOVING, YOU LIL SHIT!"

The kid froze, probably wincing from hearing you shout so close to their ear. Or maybe they've never heard you sound so... mad.

You grabbed their wrists and held them by the sides of their head, glaring into their eyes. "I am sick," you hissed, tightening your grip, "of you fucking acting up like this. For fuck's sake, kid, why!? _Why_ are you doing this!?"

"Time and time again, I wanted to justify you, to give myself an actual reason for what you're doing, but you're making this so damn difficult!" The kid looked petrified for a moment before they started to struggle again, but you quickly pulled back their wrists and slammed them back down, holding back your guilt as they yelped.

"I'm sick and tired of it, Chara. How much longer do you wanna do this? How many RESETs is it going to take? Do you believe you're gonna be happy once this is done!?" your gaze hardened as they glared back, glistening reds boring into you. You flinched and looked away, inhaling shakily, "Just... fucking hell, Chara, there's so much hate in your eyes it's almost fucking unbelievable."

The kid furrowed their brows as you groaned, leaning back to bow your head. "You... you wanna know something? A dirty secret of mine?" you muttered, not looking to check Chara's reaction. "Might as well spill since you're finally listening to me, heh," you added with a dry chuckle.

You took a deep breath, relaxing the grip you had on Chara's wrists.

"The truth is... I fucking hate you, too, kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //SMACKS KNEE  
> BADLY FORESHADOWED SURPRISE. WAS IT EVEN A SURPRISE I DUNNO BUT I TRIED.


	15. Hate Is A Pretty Strong Word, How About Dislike?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You elaborate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is a mess.

Chara had disbelief written on their face, eyebrows furrowed and mouth turned down. You figured you had some explaining to do, judging from the expression they were making. You blew out air through puffed cheeks, shrugging a bit.

“It’s true. I hated you with every fiber of my being. I still do. I wanted to stay away from you, I didn’t wanna have _anything_ to do with you. It’s not that I hate kids, mind you, it’s that I hate _annoying stabby little brats_ who refused to listen to me when I politely asked them to,” you sighed. “The only reason I kept looking for you when you went missing that night?”

Your voice lowered, _“I just didn't wanna have the guilt of your death on my conscious.”_ Pulling away, you managed a crooked smile as Chara’s eyes widened.

“Sure, Toriel ‘made’ me promise to keep you safe," you continued, "but honestly, I'd thought you’d be just fine on your own." Your tone softened as you remembered the loving goat monster, "She was very upset, though. For a moment... I'd really thought of doing it just for her.” You shook your head, laughing, “But then you had to... that moment when you stabbed my shoulder was the highlight of it all, I think. Oh boy, you’re stronger than you look, kid. Gotta admit.”

You felt their wrists moving and promptly tightened your grip.

"Y'see,” you ignored the dirty look they sent you as you smiled, “we’re not so different, you and me. We feel the same thing. That hate; it just kinda bubbles in your chest, festering in your soul. Keeps clogging your throat and burning your vision. Like you gotta, reach out and choke somebody just to relieve the pressure. I get it. Doesn't feel great, amiright?"

Chara wasn’t looking at you anymore, though they were still trying to pry their hands out of your hold. You huffed and tugged them forward as you leaned back to sit between their legs, forcing them to an upright position. Even then the kid kept jerking against you.

“Chara, stop. Look at me and listen,” you grunted, pulling them forward a bit too forcefully. They retaliated by kicking out their legs.  “Listen to me!”

“No!” a tiny voice croaked, and you had to pause for a moment to make sure you hadn’t imagined it. Chara was breathing heavily, and as you tilted your head, the tint of red in their cheeks made you bite your lip. Maybe you went a bit overboard. You loosened your grip a little, but kept their hands between the two of you.

“I’m gonna be straight with you, alright,” you muttered, tone serious, “letting that hate take over your mind might be fun for a while. Hell, I bet it feels great to just let it all out. Especially with all these RESETs. But you wanna know what happens when you’ve killed all there is to kill, Chara?”

“…”

“You go empty. The source of all that hate will be gone, sure, but you’d have absolutely nothing left. You'll be sitting there wondering what you were even doing in the first place. You think you'll be satisfied?" you moved closer to their ear. "Here's the thing, Chara: you never will be. And you won’t ever realize that until it’s too late.”

You paused to gauge their reaction before continuing, “But that’s just it, ain’t it? It’s never too late for you. You can do this however many times you want; you won’t have any consequences. But for how long, Chara?” You leaned in, “How long do you think you can live by your hate?”

Their shoulders were shaking now. You must've overwhelmed them a little, but it had to be done. You eased up your hold and rubbed the marks you've left on their wrists, instantly regretting the amount of strength you had used. You noted how their trembling somehow intensified from the sudden gentleness.

"Nobody else can answer that for you," you finished, gingerly letting go of Chara and standing up.  Stepping back cautiously, you spotted Sans out of the corner of your vision glancing between the two of you, confused as hell.

It took a few seconds before the child followed, sneakily brushing their eyes by their shoulders as they stood; you still noticed the dampness left behind on their sweater but didn't say anything. 

The hairs on your arms and the back of your neck stood, giving your skin a prickly feeling, and a quick glance to the side revealed Sans sweating bullets as he held a shaky palm towards the two of you. You instantly paled as you took in the skulls surrounding Chara in a wide circle, each one jaws ready and pointing.

The kid seemed unfazed as they took a step forward, head downcast. You bristled as the skulls followed them with each step, eventually pointing their snouts towards you.

"uh, b-buddy? step away from them, would ya?" Sans spoke up, realizing the danger you were in. You stood fast and waited until Chara was toe-to-toe with you. "uh, pal... didn't you hear me...?"

You held up a hand, asking for him to wait. You instinctively flinched as Chara flopped their face onto your stomach, visibly shriveling from how quickly the front of your shirt got wet. Aside from the suspected tears, there's probably some goobers and snot seeping in, too. Nasty.

Slowly, small hands reached up around you and scrunched the back of your shirt as they balled into fists, clenching tightly. Chara was trembling again, and you hesitantly placed a hand on the kid's shoulder in return, the other hand patting their head.

"Um... th-there there. It's okay, kiddo," you awkwardly cooed, gently combing your fingers through their hair the way you think? they like?? Chara wasn't pulling away though, instead they just pulled you in closer. The two of you stayed that way for a while; with the kid shaking with tremors every few seconds and you just running your fingers through their hair. It probably lasted a few minutes. You sure as hell wasn’t counting.

Eventually, you gave a signal to Sans without taking your eyes off of Chara, rubbing their back as motherly as you could. The intense static in the air cleared as the skulls around you closed their mouths, teeths clicking. You smiled and relaxed in Chara’s hold, breathing out a sigh of relief.

Only to shriek as a sharp pain jabbed at your back. You looked down to see Chara still covering their face with your shirt, hanging on tightly. You scrambled at their shoulders, wriggling as you tried to push them off of you. Where'd that second knife even come from!?

You gasped as Chara twisted their wrist, the jolt travelling painfully up your spine. You could practically feel the blade digging around your organs. Your arms felt paralyzed as you tried to pry them off. "S-sans! Help!" you cried out, trying to reach behind you desperately. Chara was shaking again, but honestly you were too preoccupied with the pain at the moment to care.

Blue magic wrapped itself around Chara just then; you could feel the hum of it through your clothes. The kid must’ve sensed it because they only cling to you harder, making it impossible for Sans to pull you apart. If anything it made things worse for you. Sans winced as you screamed, shaking your head frantically as tears started to run down your cheeks.

"S-stop! D-don't pull them back, just..." you hesitated a bit, "just activate the skulls, Sans!"

The skeleton looked impossibly white. "wh-what? b-but you're in the--"

"I know, I kn-OW," your voice hitched as Chara forced the blade deeper, your tongue starting to taste like copper, "j-just do it!"

"but--"

"SANS, PLEASE. IT HURTS LIKE A BITCH JUST KILL ME," you screamed, folding yourself over Chara and clenching your eyes shut.

You caught the sound of buzzing energy as the skulls charged up, nearly missing the fact that the pain on your back had subsided, leaving a dull throb. There was a clink of metal on linoleum, and you felt Chara's arms ease up around you, now holding you in a semi-comfortable hug.

There was an explosion and your vision was filled with white. Everything disappeared except for the feeling of your body being enveloped in excruciating pain. You could feel yourself being pulled apart at a molecular level; your skin peeling and bones melting. You couldn't even hear the sound of your own screams as you held on to Chara tighter. It was, in the shortest of descriptions, hell.

And then... nothing.

Your eyes snapped open to see two souls vibrating in a black void in front of you. Chara's dark maroon had a tint of your own soul as it shone brightly beside it, the dimness of it apparent this close.

You sensed someone else's presence within the void with you, witnessing the floating hearts. You wanted to call out, but before you could, the souls shattered in silence and everything went dark.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

You felt a tingle run down your spine.


	16. A Heart-to-Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a long talk.
> 
> And by long, I mean, _long_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'know how the game talks about love and LOVE? yeah, this isn't the game so let's talk about something else.

Your chest felt heavy. It was like a huge weight had settled on top of your spine, right above your ribcage.

...Strangely something about it felt oddly comfortable.

You coughed a bit as you blinked your eyes open, and you found your vision focusing on a single golden flower as everything faded into the background. Your nose twitched as the petals brushed by the tip of your cheek gently with how close it was.

Slowly sitting up, you glanced about in a troubled daze, rubbing your wrist over your cheek. Your nails dug into the soil beneath you as your eyes trailed the purple moss growing on the walls before following them as they climbed upwards.

As you squinted up against the light shining over your head, the back of your head knocked against something solid. Puzzled, you craned your neck backwards and realized it was just your guitar case strapped to your shoulder. The thought of how silly you must’ve been passed through your head and somewhat struck a chord.

Something about this... was very familiar. As if you're experiencing deja vu; it's like you've really been here before.

You had another glance over your surroundings before locking eyes with a pair of crimson irises. The child in front of you had their mouth in a thin line as they quickly avoided your gaze, tucking their arms above their knees. Ultimately a few seconds passed before everything clicked into place inside your head. Your eyes must've flashed with recognition as the kid curled up against their legs even more.

"Ch...Chara?" you voiced softly, as if afraid it was all a dream. The kid in front of you hummed something in response, though you weren't really sure what they were trying to convey. You sit up straighter, choosing your words delicately. "Were you... were you waiting for me?"

A few seconds passed before you heard their sweater ruffle against their cheek as they nodded. You had to admit you were surprised. "...Why?"

Chara picked at their sleeve before mumbling something. You scooted forward on your knees warily, leaning your upper body towards them. "S-sorry, what? I couldn't hear you."

Sighing, they lifted their head, eyes focused on a dark corner of the cavern. "I'm confused," they finally muttered, voice cracked from disuse. Your eyebrows raised.

"C-confused...? About what?" you pressed lightly. You weren't sure if it was a good idea to chide them, but the situation really called for it. Chara pouted at the corner for a second before deliberately dragging their eyes towards you, a faint blush spreading over their cheeks.

“About you,” they coughed, clearing their throat before picking at a flower petal. “I don’t get you. At all.”

You tilted your head, a bit nervous. “Uh… what… is it about me that makes you so confused?”

They rolled over the petal between their fingertips before picking it apart. You waited patiently until they were finished tearing it to shreds. “You said you hate me,” they finally said. “Were you being honest?” they looked up, red eyes burning into yours.

Well, that was… sudden. You swallowed and scratched your cheek, chuckling despite yourself. “Well… can’t take it back anymore so. Yeah, I hate you, kiddo. Probably not as much as you hate me, but... I think it’s pretty close.”

Chara was quiet again, fingers brushing over the empty spot of the petal they just picked. They seemed to be counting something in their head before plucking another petal from the same flower. Tugging it gently between their thumbs, they scrutinized it as they muttered, “Then how come? How come you haven’t hurt me yet?”

Your heartbeat skipped. "Wh...why would you think I'd need to do that?"

Chara blinked rapidly then, a bit of moisture seeming to spread over their eyes. "Because..." they inhaled deeply, bottom lip wobbling, "because you hate me. And when you hate someone, you hurt them. Isn't... isn't that how it works?"

You took a moment to really process what they're saying. Chara had their head really down now, their chin almost touching their collarbone as they dug their nails into the poor petal. You kept your voice gentle, "Who told you that?"

"Nobody," they responded a bit too quickly. "I just figured it out on my own."

You slowly nodded even though they weren't looking. "I see."

The two of you sat in silence, mostly because you were awkwardly waiting for Chara to say something, but the kid seemed to be occupied trying to turn the flimsy flowery appendage into a Rubix cube and failing. You almost missed what they said next.

"If you hate me... but you won't hurt me... then does it really count?" they muttered, finally looking at you again.

You blinked at their question. "What?"

They suddenly get serious, frowning down at the torn petal in their hand. "If you like someone, people say you should show it to them. If you hate someone, then shouldn't you show it as well?"

Your mouth bobbed a bit before you could answer. "W-well, that depends. I mean... most of the time when you dislike a person, you just--"

"I didn't say 'dislike,'" they interrupted, frown deepening. "If you _hate_ someone, shouldn't you show it to them?" they repeated, staring at you expectantly.

You decided to be frank. "No, Chara, you don't."

"How come?"

"Because it's wrong."

"Why's it wrong?"

"It just is!" you snapped, reflecting the glare Chara had on their face. "You just don't do that to people. You keep it to yourself and you don't let it control your actions."

"But--"

"You know what makes you and me different?" you interjected, satisfied as Chara kept their mouth shut. "I mean, you're a kid and I'm an adult, but that doesn't make it any more or less fair. We all have our reasons for hating something... or some _one_ : fear, disgust, ignorance, discomfort. Hell, that's just off the top of my head. There's a lot more where that came from, trust me," you scoffed.

"But I don't let it take over my life like you do. I don't let it build up inside me until I'm driven to hurt others because of this... _feeling_ inside of me. Do you understand?"

You reached out a hand towards their open palm, pausing for a moment when Chara flinched. Cautiously, you picked up the torn petal between your forefinger and thumb, placing it on your own hand. "The world's full of hate, Chara, there's no denying it," you said wistfully, making sure Chara was watching as you closed your hand into a fist. "But just because it's there... doesn't mean it's, _there_?"

You proved your point by tucking your fist into the flower patch, opening up your hand and letting the mangled petal get lost within the flowers. You pulled back your hand, showing Chara your empty palm. "Y-you get what I'm saying?" you waved your hand helplessly, hoping they'd get your point.

It took almost a minute as they stared at your hand, irises darting back and forth between the lines and wrinkles of your palm, trying to decipher it. Finally they frowned, scowling a bit. "It doesn't make sense, though."

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. Chara was one of those people, weren't they? Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself to launch into an all-out full-descriptive lecture about standard social etiquette (with visuals) when the sentence that came out of Chara's mouth next made you freeze mid-syllable.

"Mom and Dad hated me."

...You snapped your mouth shut.

"They've never said it, but they've always acted like it. If you're not supposed to show someone that you hate them, then how come they showed it to me?" Chara's voice was level as they kept talking, though the way their fingers shook told you they were anything but okay.

"If you said that people were supposed to keep it to themselves then why did they hurt me?" Chara added, eyes starting to glisten. "Why did they do all those things to me, even when I begged them to stop?"

You weren't sure why, but as their form quivered and shook you quickly bundled them up in your arms, forcefully laying their head on your shoulder as they started to weakly resist. You began rubbing their back and that seemed to soothe them enough to let you come close. Their crying was eerily quiet, just a few occasional jolts of their shoulders and shaky silent breaths on your neck.

Just like in the last timeline before they practically and quite literally stabbed you in the back. You frowned to yourself as you were reminded of it, but pushed it aside.

...For now.

At the moment, you simply closed your eyes and instinctually started to hum, hoping that'd calm them down. As well as to calm yourself down because honestly you were still pissed about the stunt they pulled.

...Several minutes have passed. This is possibly the longest time you've ever had an unfinished conversation with someone. Chara seemed to be content to just lean against you, but they didn't seem like they wanted to bring up their... well. They didn't mention them anymore. It was probably better if you didn't pry.

You wanted to know something, though. "Why did you kill the monsters, Chara?"

You pulled back to look at their face, rubbing their arm gently. The kid was staring at the design on your shirt, tracing the pattern with their eyes before answering, "I hated them."

That... wasn't the answer you were expecting. "Why?"

To that they kept quiet, their lips curled in tight. Their irises flicked side to side rapidly; as if debating whether or not they wanted to answer. You waited a moment before sighing, knocking your forehead to theirs. "Well, only you know the answer to that, don't you...?"

You gripped their shoulders and pushed them back suddenly, glaring into their eyes. "What I really wanna know is why the _fuck_ you stabbed me after that _heartful_ lecture I gave you about hate and shit in the last timeline! Why'd you fucking do that, by the way!? To be a piece of shit!? An inconvenience!?"

Chara was startled as you hissed in their face, but burst out laughing in an instant, their tear-stricken cheeks brightening. That made you all the more pissed.

"Why are you laughing!? I'm serious, it hurt like a bitch! A giant pinecone shoved in through my ass would've been less painful!" you growled, shaking them lightly.

Chara's giggles subsided, rubbing the palm of their hand into their eyes. "I was angry at you," they admitted, staring at the ground with the smallest of smiles.

"So you took a knife and what, stabbed me for it!?" you yelled, flailing your hands about. Chara actually looked half sheepish for a second. In that moment they just seemed more... human. They sobered up and reached for the edge of their sleeve, picking at it with their uneven nails.

"I didn't wanna die alone, either," they mumbled, expression solemn. "I was angry at you, because you... made me cry. I didn't like that. But mostly I just didn't wanna die on my own again." You jumped as they suddenly dropped their head on your chest, leaning their entire weight on you, "When you jumped off that bridge with me before, I just felt... good for some reason. Knowing I wasn't alone back then. Even when I was about to die."

"So you... dragged me along because you didn't feel like dying alone?" you deadpanned.

"...Yeah."

"...You're weird, kid."

"Yeah."

They fiddled with the zipper of your jacket for a bit before mumbling quietly, "Why'd  _you_ do that by the way?"

"Huh?"

"Jumped out to save me from that fish. You knew if I died it wouldn't matter. So why'd you do that?"

You blinked. "I... I dunno. I just did."

"...You're weird."

You laughed, shaking your head. "I guess we both are." Your eyes widened as you suddenly realized, "But then, you let Sans kill you on purpose."

They shrugged. "Wasn't it obvious?"

"So you could RESET..."

They sputtered, cheeks reddening.

"...Does that mean you've finally...? Does that mean you'll stop?" you asked hopefully.

Their mouth pulled back like it always does, but nevertheless they nodded. You gasped and hugged them close, ignoring the way they punched your sides with their fists, seeing as your back was protected by your case.

Muffled exasperated noises came from your shirt as you clung to them. You pulled back in the middle of their protest, a questioning look on your face. "But... what made you change your mind?"

Another shrug, gaze distant. Chara seemed to be rearranging their words before they said anything, "I got... tired. I have been from the beginning, since the very first time I woke up. But back then I didn't really realize it because I was... angry all the time. But then, you showed up and, I dunno. You made me even more tired than I was, I guess."

You snickered. "It wasn't because you were sick of getting your butt kicked by Sans, was it?" you teased.

They made a face, scrunching up their nose.

"O-okay, too soon. Got it."

Looking at them now, their eyes _were_ getting a bit droopy. You didn't really understand their explanation, but instead of asking you brushed the hair out of their eyes and tucked a strand behind their ear. "Do you... wanna rest now?" you asked softly.

They nodded groggily, unlatching themself from you and laying back on the flowers. You kept brushing their hair and started to hum, hoping it'll lull them to sleep faster. They grabbed your hand as you swept past their forehead, and you initially thought they wanted you to stop but instead, they pointed towards the case on your back.

"Can you... can you play that?" they mumbled drowsily.

You blinked before chuckling, "I didn't drag it through hell and back twice just to say 'no' to that question, kiddo."

They fiddled with their fingers on their chest, glancing to the side. "Can you... can you play something for me...?"

You had already slid the strap off your shoulder, setting the case aside. "Of course. You'd be my very first audience Underground. Isn't that cool?" you smiled, pulling out your guitar and picking the strings a bit.

Chara smirked for a second. "That _is_... pretty cool... I guess..."

You hummed, finally deciding on what to play. It's an old favourite of yours, one of your firsts, and being able to play it as Chara's song made you somewhat nostalgic. It took you weeks to get the rhythm down pat, but damn was it worth it.

Your fingers started to dance along the strings, a somewhat melancholic song playing out on your guitar as you hummed the words in your head, not actually singing.

 _Dancing bears..._  
_Painted wings...  
__Things I almost, remember..._

You hadn't realized you had your eyes closed, but as something shone behind your eyelids, you found yourself opening them. Your strumming faltered for a moment as Chara's soul floated above their chest, the child's breathing seeming to have stopped. Then, as you watched, the dark maroon of their soul lifted like smoke, drifting upwards to fade completely, revealing a shining bright neon red heart bobbing freely.

It floated back into Chara's chest, and suddenly the kid began to cough violently. You dropped your guitar to the side and quickly pulled them upright, smacking their back worriedly.

"Whoa, kid, you alright there?" you laughed, backing up a bit. "Didn't choke on a daisy, did ya?"

Your chuckle instantly vanished as the kid opened their eyes, dark brown and slighty squinting. You stared for a moment before clearing your throat, smiling nervously

"You uh... you must be Frisk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Song Reader played for Chara:**  
>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzBicrSuTAk
> 
> i've been waiting to write the Reader playing this song since this fic was a fetus lemme tell ya.  
> (future songs may or may not include singing bc tbh not aLL OF US ARE BLESSED WITH THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL MIND YOU THIS ISNT PERSONAL OR ANYTHING SHUT UP.)


	17. The New Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You become an embarassment like, twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK SORRY FOR MY SUDDEN HIATUS.
> 
> everyone give The Kursed (how do you do mentions i don't know someone teach me so i can bless this soul) lots and lots of love for sending me such a sweet message that turned my gears for writing back into motion again. i'm still sticking to the one update per month schedule, since it really helps with me being on top of things and ensuring i update. 
> 
> i'm gonna try my best for you all (s-still reading at least but nevertheless! i'm determined!) smooches!! <3

You could practically hear the gears turning and clicking in Frisk's head as they gaped at you, shifting their eyes back and forth between your guitar and your face. It was obvious they were confused by your presence in this new timeline, wondering what the heck went wrong, though honestly you had other things to worry about.

"You _are_ Frisk, aren't you?"

The kid perked up and widened their eyes at hearing their name coming from a stranger, and it took a bit of a while for them to nod, albeit hesitantly.

Now, you would deny with every shitty excuse you had in your arsenal in the future if anyone asked about it, but as the realization sunk in that things were going to be _okay_ from now on now that _Frisk_ was back, you burst into straight up, unadulterated tears. The feeling of utter relief washed over you, switching on your tear ducts as the stress of everything finally lifted.

The kid was even more overwhelmed as you wailed into your palms, a dumb grin on your face even with fat drops running down your cheeks. Despite their initial dubiousness, they slowly scooted forward on their knees and patted you on the back comfortingly, a crooked and confused smile on their face.

"I'm just... so glad you clarified that statement, you have no idea how glad," you sobbed, wiping your cheeks furiously with your jacket sleeve. They tilted their head and furrowed their brows. "I'll... I'll fill you in later, okay? I p-promise."

The kid pouted in thought, glancing to the side before nodding again. The way they pursed their lips instead of pulling them in like Chara does somehow sent a pang of bitterness through you, but you quickly shook it off as a voice called out.

"Hello...? Is someone there...?"

Your heart skipped a beat as you looked up, mouth dropping open. You just felt yourself starting to sob harder as a familiar goat monster stepped into the light.

Toriel bristled as she spotted the two of you, a weeping adult next to a frowning child, and immediately rushed forward with concern in her eyes. She knelt down and placed a paw on your shoulder, checking over you cautiously.

"A-are you alright? Are you hurt?" she tutted, glancing between the two of you. Frisk nodded uncertainly before shrugging. You grasped her paw as she held it to your cheek, wet chuckles creeping past your lips as you nodded as well.

"W-we're f-fine. S-sorry I'm s-such a mess right now," you said shakily, trying hard to ease your breathing. Toriel smiled gently.

"It is quite alright, my child. You have been through a lot, haven't you?" she started to pat your head in reassurance, the feeling of having your hair brushed relaxing you significantly.

"Y-you have no idea," you grinned, drying your eyes with your fingertips. You were suddenly engulfed in a warm embrace, your eyes popping open as a firm paw rubbed your back.

"It is quite alright... I am here now, I will take care of you both," Toriel's soft voice hummed beside your head, and you wrapped your arms around her instinctively. 

"Well, that might be embarrassing," you smiled as the two of you eventually parted. "I'm an adult, for _crying out loud._ " You shot her fingers guns and a pathetic wink, a final tear sliding down your cheek. Toriel was stumped for a moment before bursting into giggles, a subtle blush rising beneath her fur. Out of the corner of your eye, Frisk's mouth dropped open.

"Well, aren't you a delight!" the monster held a paw daintily to her snout as her chuckles receded, smiling brightly. "My name is Toriel, it is nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine. In fact, it seems too good _to_ be _riel_ ," you sent her another obnoxious wink as she completely loses it, shoulders shaking and tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Oh, I have never heard that one before!" she chortles uncontrollably, patting your head. "You are just a... _ray of sunshine_ , are you not?"

The way she paused in the middle of her sentence made you squint a bit, before clapping your hands and gasping. Her laugh resumed, loud and unrestrained, and you found yourself grinning until your cheeks were sore. "That was good... that was really good."

She shook her head as she stood up, straightening her dress. "That is enough banter, my child," she chided with a twinkle in her eye, "come, let me guide you through the Ruins to where it's safer."

You nodded and hastily packed up your guitar, nearly missing the slack-jawed look Frisk was making. "Uh, what's the matter, kiddo? Something wrong?"

They shook their head slowly, sparkles in their eyes. You sensed a little uneasiness crawl up your back, but you smiled anyway and stood up, slinging your case over your shoulder unceremoniously and grunted as it smacked against your back. Offering your hand, you pulled Frisk to their feet and turned to Toriel. "So uh... lead the way?" you gestured.

The goat woman stooped down to hold Frisk's hand, nodding towards you as she stepped out of the patch of gold and walked ahead of you. Toriel respected you enough to treat you like an adult it seemed, but you were kinda disappointed you didn't get to hold her hand again. Bummer.

As you stepped through the first archway, you could sense Frisk tensing up as you did the same, remembering the sole occupant of the area. The kid kept glancing around and seemed worried as Flowey remained absent as you passed through. You had to admit you were put off just as much as they were. Where was the lil guy? Toriel didn't notice the nervous energy between the two of you and kept walking.

The three of you made your way through the rest of the Ruins completely unscathed. You expected a few traps here and there, but there was no falling in pits of leaves this time. Toriel admitted to have disabled them as she made her rounds and haven't bothered turning them back on just yet. "However, that does not mean I will not teach you the way of these Ruins," she chastised, "It is dangerous if you were to navigate them alone, after all. I will show you some other time."

You reached her house sooner than you expected; the quaint little house with the worn purple bricks and the perpetually shedding tree in the yard with its mound of leaves at its base giving you another sense of deja vu. You faltered in your steps as Toriel swung the door open, a memory of the last timeline flashing in your mind but you quickly recovered and gave a crooked smile as she turned around.

"Please come in! I will prepare a meal in just a bit," she patted Frisk's head and let go of their hand. "There is a spare bedroom to your right if you would like a quick nap, or perhaps you would like to read one of the books from the shelves in the living room over there. Oh, and please don't hesitate to wear the clothes in the wardrobe; I'm sure you'll find something of your size. Either way, make yourself at home!" she smiled courteously and made her way to the kitchen, humming a pleasant tune.

Before you could even take a step forward there was a tug on your sleeve, and a glance down revealed Frisk pointing towards the aforementioned bedroom door with a finger, their body already swiveled towards it.

Their eyes told you all you needed to know. _We need to talk._

_ _ _

The mattress was lumpy but comfortable enough, even if the duvet was a bit scratchy. You sat across Frisk with your back to the headboard, leaning against it as the kid sat criss crossed holding a plush toy in their lap. You noted they grabbed it the instant they came into the room; it must've been their favourite.

"So... uh, what do you wanna know?" you began.

Frisk pulled out a pen and paper out of nowhere and started to scribble furiously. You had expected them to speak, considering Chara used their voice but hey, to each their own. They held up it up a few seconds later, face focused as you squinted to read the chicken scratch. _How do you know my name?_

"From a friend. Your friend, actually. A uh, skeletal... friend?" you closed your left eye and deliberately pointed at it.

Their eyes lit up and they mouthed something like 'suns' but you knew who they were talking about.

"Yeah. Sans."

They went back to writing, though it was brief this time. _RESETS?_

You nodded hesitantly. "I know. And yeah, I remember."

Their eyes blew wide for a second before they went contemplative, holding a fist to their chin. They eventually started writing again, taking a longer time. Their frantic scratching was starting to make you fidget. Finally they held it up and you had to hold back a snort. Apparently the kid had a lot of questions.

_~~**How** did Sans~~ **~~many RESETS happe~~** ~~Who ar~~ ~~How did you get dow~~ What happened in the last timeline?_

That last question... You darted your eyes apprehensively, sweat starting to collect at the back of your neck. "A uh, a lot happened. Things... I'm not sure you wanna know."

The kid looked determined. _I want to._

You blew out air noisily, shaking your head. "I... okay, fine. You deserve to know," you folded your hands and sighed, "You... weren't yourself, Frisk. Your eyes were red and you... uhm, y-you did a lot of bad things."

_Like what?_

"Like... uh, committing mass genocide?" you quickly pulled back as they paled. "B-b-but it wasn't your fault! Really, I should've phrased it better uhm. It was like someone took over your body and you were just... gone."

Frisk took a deep breath and wrote something slowly. They hesitantly held it up.  _Was my name Chara?_

"Y-yeah," your eyebrows raised, "how'd you know?"

They bit their lip and made a face. Scribbled. _Really long story._

"Oh..." you crossed your arms and shrugged. "You uh, don't wanna talk about it?"

They shrugged right back. _Do you?_

"I do, actually. There's a lot I don't know, and there's an entire timeline you don't know, so... fair trade for stories then?" you held out your hand, wiggling your fingers.

The kid looked back and forth between their paper and your hand before finally taking it, shaking it once. _Deal._

"Sweet. Also... uh... can I ask you a favor?"

They hummed questioningly, tipping their head to the side. You rubbed the back of your neck, some heat flushing to your face out of embarassment. "I've sorta missed Toriel in the last timeline and before that, I never really got to know her very well. And I know you're in a rush to get to the Surface again but... look, it's silly b-but... do you think we can stay here a bit longer than you usually do?"

Frisk blinked slowly before they wrote something with a dubious look.  _Are you saying you wanna try and smooch a goat?_

You choked on your spit. "WhAt!? No! Oh my god Frisk I just wanted to get to know her as a friend you're like ten how are you even--"

You snapped your mouth shut as you noticed their shoulders shaking, eyes narrowed in mischief. Someway, somehow, that just made you blush harder. "Oh damn it, like the first one wasn't bad enough now I have to deal with a flirty two-faced frisky little--"

"Children! The food is ready! Wash your hands before you eat!" Toriel called out, causing the two of you to turn towards the door. Frisk smirked at you for a split second before they rolled backwards off the bed, swung the door open with a bang and took off in a sprint down the corridor in their socks.

You sat there stunned for a moment before bolting after them, spitting a frantic tirade of curses under your breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> actual frisky!Frisk is my jam tbfh


	18. Slices Of Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You do a thing followed by other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've written this back in june i think, even before my sudden hiatus. the same can be said for a few future chapters so apologies if they seem wonky as i tweak them here and there now that it's 2017. i hope you guys still like it even if it's a bit slow and slice-of-life-like hhh 
> 
> ALSO YOYOYO AN ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART DID ME A FANART CHECK IT:  
>  http://theawesomedevinely.deviantart.com/art/Stay-Tuned-Fanart-652706616?ga_submit_new=10%253A1482435092

The first night you slept at Tori's, you had a nightmare of dust and screams and red eyes following you from the shadows.

You woke up writhing in Toriel's arms, engulfed in soft fur as your eyes snapped open to see Frisk huddled into the corner clutching their toy, a concerned pout on their face. Tori was mumbling gently as she rocked you side to side, brushing your sweaty hair back and cooing for you to calm your breathing. You must've freaked them both out pretty bad.

You knew the nightmare didn't mean anything. Chara was gone now, you knew, but the feeling of complete despair still lingered at the back of your mind, sunken into memory. You remembered the spears and bones and hugged Toriel harder, willing your sobbing to stop.

She never asked you what caused the distress in your sleep, but as an embarassing solution Toriel started to tuck you in at night and gave you goodnight kisses just like she does with Frisk from that moment on, your sputtering protests be damned.

The kid's teasing was relentless as you tried to sleep with a red face, but you had to admit... it sorta helped.  
_ _ _

Frisk asked you out on walks occasionally.

You didn't mind checking out places they've admittedly never been to before around the catacombs, according to them they've always taken a direct route throughout the Ruins. Watching them explore and investigate everything was interesting.

You would bump into monsters sometimes but evidently having yourself associated with Toriel around these parts credited you with a bit of amount of respect.

The monsters were never much for confrontation, but they did give you a run for your money as you actively dodged their bullets by Frisk's request. They said it'd be good practice for the future.

Honestly though the only reason you tagged along for these expeditions was because of the non-licorice candy the two of you would swipe on the way back, that stuff was good.

_ _ _

You and Frisk were finishing up the dishes one night when the kid tugged at your sleeve, their expression serious. Judging by the look in their eyes, you knew it was time to spill the beans about the timelines they've missed.

You sucked in a deep breath with a hiss and nodded reluctantly, peering into the living room to see Toriel asleep in her armchair, a thick lopsided book on her lap. "Let's talk somewhere private, okay?" you said lowly, setting the final plate in its rack before patting down your wet hands by your sides.

Stepping out of the kitchen, the kid followed closely behind you as you headed to the bedroom the two of you shared. Just as you passed by the hallway though, you felt the kid jerk your shirt back to get your attention.

Turning around revealed them pointing at the door, the hand that was fisting your shirt loosening to grab the doorknob. "Outside?" you asked, hoping your tone delivered your question. They nodded calmly and swung it open, careful not to push it far enough for it to creak. You shrugged to yourself; heck why not? Maybe they were in the mood for a late-night walk or something.

Although you quickly figured that didn't seem to be the case as you found Frisk already settled at the base of the tree in Tori's yard after you turned around to close the door. The kid was crinkling a few of the dried leaves under their hands, their legs outstretched and their toes tapping together every few seconds. They looked up with a smile as you walked over and sat yourself down beside them.

The two of you spent a few minutes in comfortable silence, tossing leaves back and forth. You weren't really sure which of you was going to start first, but there was an unspoken agreement between the two of you that there was no holding back on the information one of you had for the other.

Gnawing on your lip, you cleared your throat and diverted your gaze to the side. Seeing as Frisk doesn't use their voice, supposedly it made sense for you to start first? "So uh, let me tell you all that you've missed..." you recalled everything you could remember, from the time you woke up to the second your soul shattered with Chara's.

You kept the details somewhat obscure but to the point, glossing over the main events in an attempt to retell the shit you've been through in a quick and concise way. Truthfully you weren't really keen on dwelling on some parts of your story for too long should they shake up bad memories, and right now was probably the least convenient time to have a nervous breakdown out of nowhere.

Frisk's reaction was... strange. Their eyes widened as expected as you explained the genocide they've done, but only slightly. Other than that they didn't seem shaken up at all at the fact that they've killed several of the monsters they've known and rescued to the Surface in past timelines. You expected a little crying or some shakiness but the kid was eerily calm about it.

What really ruffled their metaphorical feathers was when you told them how Chara went to sleep in the bed of flowers, their soul emerging from their body and switching into neon as if turning on a light, and how afterwards Frisk was back to normal. The kid's brows furrowed in an expression you couldn't exactly pinpoint, their hand gripping the front of their shirt tightly.

"So um, that's that," you scratched the back of your head awkwardly as they stared at their feet. Was it really that easy?

You waited for another response from them, but all they did was stare ahead and blink. The silence was starting to get uncomfortable. "So um, did you realize all that was going on? Chara taking over your body, I mean," you prompted, hoping they'd start sharing their side of the story now. All you got was a deliberately slow shake of their head. Okay then.

"Not even in the dream-like sense? Like you think it was happening but not really but it turns out everything was happening in reality after all?" Another deliberately slow shake of their head. You sighed impatiently. "Are you gonna tell me who exactly Chara is any time soon?"

They perked up before focusing on you, mouth dropping open as if to say something. You could've sworn you heard a syllable get cut off before they lifted their hands and started gesturing. You frowned at their rapid signing, "Frisk, I don't understand you."

They weren't stopping. "Frisk."

They started to stand up, hands still moving wildly. "FRISK."

The kid did a curtsy before finishing, placing their hands on their hips with a smile. "Frisk, what?"

You could only blink as they patted your head and walked back towards the house.

...

FRISK WHAT THE FUCK.

Eventually recovering from the silent diss, you stormed back inside to find the little shit nugget chilling on the bed with their legs crossed, smiling innocently up at you from a book they were holding.

Walking over with your arms spread in exasperation, you whispered with agitation in your tone since you didn't want to risk waking the napping goat monster in the other room. "What the heck was that all about? I thought we had a deal!" They twisted to plant their feet on the floor before slapping the book shut to the middle, passing it to you with their eyebrows wiggling.

You squinted for a moment before hesitantly taking it out of their hands, frowning down at the title: MONSTER HISTORY FROM A TO Z.

Oh.

"You're just too lazy to write down the entire thing, aren't you?"

All you got from the kid was a shrug.

_ _ _

You visited the patch of flowers at the beginning of the Ruins once, bringing your guitar with you. Frisk didn't know you went there; who knows they were probably gossiping with Tori in your absence back then, but it was fine. You wanted to be alone anyway. 

Sitting down in the circle of sunlight, you brushed a hand over the flowers, appreciating how soft the petals were underneath you. Having gotten out your guitar, you settled back and started to strum a random tune, content to just letting your fingers tug the strings absentmindedly as you reminisced past events.

At some point you felt a presence behind you, sending tremors up your arms as it blended well within the yellow flowers. Your instincts kept screaming at you to turn around, to at least prepare for a fight-or-flight response, but you decided against it and started to play out the song you did for Chara, albeit hesitantly.

It took a while, but your chest started to radiate with something indescribable as you kept playing; a blooming warmth that spread to the tips of your fingers with every distinct pluck of your guitar.

It felt kinda nice, like your soul was singing for your lone audience. Somehow you felt them responding in kind; melancholic and bitter, yet hopeful. It was weird, feeling it through your chest like that.

You repeated the song once more, breathing out a sigh as you struck the last note. Whoever it was, they left seconds after you finished.  
_ _ _

Because of _someone_ , you ended up spending most of your time at Toriel's reading books and learning whatever you could about the Underground. You couldn't really complain, it's been a while since you've sat down to do some good reading from a book, although what you found out was less than pleasant.

Reading the past events of the royal family and what went down those thousands of years ago threw you off something fierce, not to mention realizing that you knew the people the text was talking about put you in a troubled daze. You didn't really figure out the connection between the prince and Flowey until Frisk (slowly but surely) explained that part and that information simply placed you in a pit of depression.

You stayed in your room for a few hours in need of some time to yourself; you probably would've stayed there longer if Toriel hadn't come into your room with a plate of fresh pie and a long warm hug.

Toriel was happy to answer any of the questions you had that couldn't be answered by books, usually over a slice of pie and a cup of tea. Sometimes though she insisted you sit in front of the fireplace while she recites a few 'lessons', getting into it far more than you expected up to the point where she even gave you a pop quiz????

You barely passed, but she encouraged you to try your best and stuck a star on your guitar case anyway. The glittery sticker looked pretty neat.

_ _ _

Toriel passed you some gold one day and asked you to buy some cider from a bake sale somewhere in the Ruins; it was the first time you visited the spiders.

Granted you were a bit creeped out as the eight-legged creatures crawled down to pass you a sticky jug once you tossed the coins onto their web, but you found yourself coming by often for a doughnut or two since then. Their doughnuts were good shit.

You stopped by with your guitar one time and played them a little tune, laughing as their tiny hands clapped along. They promised a discount for you whenever you bought something after a quick song. You figured it was a pretty fair deal, even though the discount was pretty much one less gold than the actual price of what you bought.

You sometimes spot a weepy-looking ghost floating nearby, watching you curiously as you munched on whatever spider snack you decided to buy that day. They always disappeared before you could even approach them, though.  
_ _ _

Aside from lessons about the Underground, Toriel started teaching you recipes too. The woman was excitedly chattering as she gathered the ingredients to bake her (apparently) infamous monster-shaped cookies; you could tell she had been wanting to do this for a long time.

She told you stories from before she came to the Ruins, obfuscating the fact that she was a Queen once. She never really mentioned Asgore or her son, instead she just talked of everything and anything except of her family. She mentioned a friend behind the door to Snowdin once, but you were occupied with mixing the flour and making sure it wasn't sticking to the walls to really remember the details.

You could tell she missed being back with the rest of the Underground, with that pensive glint in her eyes but... looking at her closely, you decided she was quite happy down here, especially since the two of you arrived.

You felt bad knowing you had to leave soon.

Frisk came in at some point and took off with an entire ladle of cookie dough. They had a stomach ache later that night. Unsurprising.  
_ _ _

"You wanna hear me play?" you looked up from the book you were studying to see Frisk hugging your case to their chest, nodding enthusiastically. Toriel patted their head from where she stood beside them.

"As do I," she admitted with the faintest trace of a blush on her cheeks, "I have never heard you since you have been here. Th-that is, if you do not mind?"

"Wha- not at all! Here, pass me the thing, kiddo," you carefully dog-eared the browned page you were reading and set it aside, retrieving your prized instrument from your companion with a wink. It was true you haven't been playing it as often as you used to when you were back at the Surface; there were so many other things to do down here that you haven't really bothered with it these days. Well, no other time to fix that than now.

Settling yourself on the floor with the guitar on your lap, you nibbled on your lip as you decided on what to play. Truthfully you weren't very good at singing, hence why you preferred fingerstyling most songs instead of relying on your voice. A smirk briefly passed your lips as you recalled the first few days you started practicing all those years ago. It was a challenge adapting to the style you were using today, but it was definitely worth it.

Now... what to play? You glanced over at your audience who were waiting expectantly from the armchair, the kid sitting on the armrest with their legs swinging back and forth and the goat woman giving you an encouraging thumbs up. You were lost in thought as you looked at them before smiling.

Something that reminded you of home, you decided.

_ _ _

A week had passed.

Frisk was starting to fidget, wanting to leave soon. _I'm starting to hear the voices again. It's time to go._

Normally you'd be freaking the fuck out at the mention of voices coming from a child, but you trusted them. You nervously thumbed one of the many star stickers Tori had stuck on your guitar case; there had to be about seven at that point. "What about Toriel?"

They looked downtrodden before responding.  _She has to let us go. We'll see her again soon._  
_ _ _

Needless to say she wasn't letting you go.

"No! You cannot leave!" another wave of flames was sent between the two of you, Toriel's eyes shining from the fire as they turned glassy. "It is far too dangerous for humans out there! You... you will die!"

" _Please_ , Toriel," you sidestepped to dodge her attack, your soul following closely, "it's for the best!"

" _I_ know what is best! Did you not hear me, children?" her voice pitched higher as she grew frustrated at your dodging, small balls of flames floating over her palms. "They will try to take your souls! I will not allow it!"

Frisk signed something as Toriel prepared to launch another attack, stopping her for a fleeting moment. The woman looked apprehensive before shaking her head, throwing her paws outwards and flinging her magic towards you.

"Then prove it to me! Show me you are capable of handling yourself! Fight. Back!" she yelled, eyes screwed shut and voice quivering.

You were preparing yourself to dodge before Toriel stepped back and hugged herself, her fireballs going idle in the air. The floating embers threw shadows across her face as they slowly drifted forward before extinguishing one by one, throwing the entire basement in near darkness. "Please..." she murmured, head bowed in shame, "fight back..."

Frisk leapt forward and clung to her dress, ruffling the material as they obstinately shook their head. Toriel was stunned for a second before burying her face into her palms, her voice desperate and small, "Please child, do not do this to me..."

You let her calm down a bit before speaking up. "You know we can't attack you, Toriel, but... we really need to go," you anxiously wringed your hands on your strap, sucking in a deep breath, "there's just... a lot of things we need to do."

"But how will I know you will be safe?" she looked at you, eyes shimmering with a paw on her snout to muffle the beginning of her sobs. You felt your physical heart twist painfully in your chest. Smiling crookedly, you reached for her other paw and held it in a manner you hoped was reassuring.

"...Just trust us. We'll be fine."

Frisk stepped back and began firing out sign language faster than you could process them. You witnessed the exchange perplexed as a series of expressions passed by Toriel's face before she suddenly giggled. "Oh my."

You felt your cheeks flushing in concern. "What uh... what'd they say?"

"Nothing important. Do not worry about it," she smiled before it faded. "I... am a coward, am I not? Hiding my problems away and avoiding the truth. I wish I could have given you more, my children," her lips wobbled as she cupped your face. You leaned into it and shook your head insistently.

"You've already done so much for us, Tor. Believe me," you glanced at Frisk as they nodded in agreement, giving a double thumbs up. The goat woman seemed serene as she smiled, but her eyes were still doleful.

"It would be wrong of me to keep you here," she nodded to herself before moving her paws to your shoulder, gripping you gently. "Just... please remember, once you leave... you are always welcome to come back."

You jumped as your soul blipped back to your chest, safe and sound. She smiled and kissed your forehead, bowing to do the same to Frisk. You shared a look with the kid before pulling the monster in for a hug, Toriel instantly bursting into tears and pulling the two of you closer. "Please take care, my children," she whispered into your shoulder, nearly crushing you in her hold.

You patted her back and pulled away, a wistful smile on your face. "Will do. Take care of yourself, too, alright?"

She straightened and inhaled deeply, smiling as she let out a sigh. Clasping her hands over her dress, she shrugged and winked, "I have...  _goat_ everything under control, thank you."

You grinned as Frisk signed again, a final farewell probably. Toriel watched with rapt attention before humming solemnly, "Well, they've got good taste." She held up a paw in Frisk's direction and the kid instantly jumped to smack a solid high-five.

You blinked in confusion as they giggled between themselves.

"Well! I believe I must go now... I might have left the stove on," she winked again and patted you both on the shoulders before walking past, head held up high and never looking back. You watched her retreating form with a smile, before yelping as Frisk tugged you forward by your hand. The kid was fired up and ready to go apparently.

You walked down the long passage and into the final room where an empty patch of grass sat under a ray of light. You stood by as Frisk glanced left and right, grunting impatiently as they waited for something. You knew exactly who it was they were waiting for. "I don't think Asriel wants to see us just yet," you muttered, glancing around ostentatiously, "maybe he just needs some time alone."

Frisk held up seven fingers.  _It's been a week._

You nodded understandingly. "It took years for him to forget Chara the first time. He'd need some space after what happened, don't you think?"

They pouted for a minute before sighing, nodding in agreement. The two of you headed to the doors leading to Snowdin, an uneasy feeling tossing in your stomach as you approached. Something grabbed ahold of your hand just as you reached the looming structure, its grip tight and firm.

You glanced down to see Frisk nervously clenching and loosing their other fist as they tilted their head up to look at the doors, a queasy look on their face with the corners of their mouth tilted downwards. You weren't the only one anxious about this it seemed.

They glanced at you as their mouth pulled back into a thin line, a hint of determination twinkling in their eyes. You smiled and nodded. The two of you reached out a hand at the same time and pushed the doors open, holding your breaths as the cold air nipped at your skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Song Reader played for the spiders:**  
>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOdpa_LZSps
> 
>  **Song Reader played for Tori and Frisk:**  
>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F0crgJ3Pwk
> 
> honestly the entire reason why Reader even plays the guitar is so that I can share all these covers I've found I HAVE AN ENTIRE PLAYLIST FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS HNGGG


End file.
